Cessna 172F accident near Indiantown, Florida, October 11, 1994
On October 11, 1994 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172F, registered N5415R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Indiantown, Florida (Indiantown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IMPROPER LANDING FLARE BY THE PILOT RESULTING IN THE HARD LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1994 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Indiantown, Florida · Indiantown
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172F · all 172Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5415R · no longer on the register · serial 52957
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT ON HIS THIRD TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING HE REDUCED POWER IN THE FLARE AND THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD ON THE SOFT, WET, SOD RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE FUSELAGE SPLIT AFT OF THE COCKPIT.
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: 55 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,826 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1994; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F45 West Palm Beach FL at 4:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from PBI, 19 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.