Cessna 172R accident near Kissimmee, Florida, November 18, 2005
On November 18, 2005 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N5182Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kissimmee, Florida (Kissimmee Gateway Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare and remedial action during landing resulting in an in-flight loss of control and subsequent collision with terrain. A related factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2005 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kissimmee, Florida · Kissimmee Gateway Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5182Z · no longer on the register · serial 17281107
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control during landing. According to the pilot during the last leg of a three-leg cross country flight, he obtained the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) information from the destination airport when the flight was 10 miles away; the wind was reported to be from 030 degrees at 9 knots. The flight continued and the pilot also stated his approach to runway 33 was normal until the airplane, "...ballooned up...became unstable and the wing tilted left and right." He further stated that the airplane did not maintain level flight and turned to the left which he attempted to correct with right rudder input. The rudder input, "...was not in time the plane dropped to the ground turning to the left sliding into the fence." A review of the AWOS-3 reports on the day of the accident at the destination airport indicate that at 0950, the wind was from 030 degrees at 8 knots. At 1047, the wind was from 030 degrees at 7 knots, and at 1150, the wind was from 050 degrees at 5 knots. Additionally, at 1246, or approximately 29 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 020 at 11 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 78 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KOCF Ocala FL
- Destination: KISM Kissimmee FL
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 33
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.