Cessna 172N accident near St. Augustine, Florida, April 18, 1986
On April 18, 1986 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N121SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida (St. Augustine airport). It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1986 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · St. Augustine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N121SU · no longer on the register · serial 17271347
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT WITH A TOTAL OF 36.2 HOURS OF LOGGED FLIGHT TIME, STATED THAT SHE LANDED HARD ON THE NOSE WHEEL AND THE NOSE STRUT FAILED DURING A FULL STOP LANDING.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 36 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,422 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VRB Vero Beach FL at 1:30 pm
- Destination: SGJ St. Augustine FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 2,690 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from JAX, 17 miles away
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.