Cessna 172M accident near Plymouth, Florida, July 23, 1988
On July 23, 1988 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N12840, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plymouth, Florida (Orlando County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1988 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Florida · Orlando County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12840 · registry record · serial 17262304
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A NORMAL LNDG, DURING THE LNDG ROLL AT APRX 50-55 MPH, THE ACFT ROLLED THROUGH A 1-2' DEEP PUDDLE OF WATER. THE ACFT SLOWED & AT APRX 35 MPH, THE RT MAIN LNDG GEAR SLOWLY BEGAN ROTATING AFT. THE ACFT CAME TO REST SUPPORTED BY THE RT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER & THE NOSE & LEFT MAIN LNDG GEAR. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED GEAR REVEALED THE ATTACH BOLT FOR THE GEAR SPRING ASSY FAILED, ALLOWING THE GEAR TO ROTATE AFT. EXAMINATION OF THE BOLT REVEALED IT FAILED DUE TO EXCESS SHEAR LOADS PLACED ON IT DURING TORSIONAL LOADING OF THE UPPER END OF THE LNDG GEAR TUBE. THE BOLT ALSO SHOWED EVIDENCE OF FRETTING. HARDNESS TESTS PERFORMED REVEALED THE BOLT WAS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 740 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 728 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 11, 1988; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 3,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:20 pm from ORL, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA88LA235.