Cessna 172 accident near Leesburg, Florida, March 16, 2006
On March 16, 2006 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N737TR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg Regional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll resulting in collision with a taxiway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2006 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Florida · Leesburg Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N737TR · no longer on the register · serial 17269667
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he performed a normal landing. After all three wheels were down; the airplane began to veer toward the left side of the runway. He tried applying right rudder, but could not control the airplane in time before it hit a taxiway sign on the left side of the runway. The airplane then went across the runway and stopped on the grass. He secured the airplane before exiting. The flight instructor who endorsed the solo flight stated that the student pilot was not authorized to land at the accident airport. The operator stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Avion Air Academy
The flight
- Departed from: GNV Gainesville FL
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 13, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LEE
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.