Cessna 172N accident near Olive Branch, Mississippi, November 24, 1996
On November 24, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739ZA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olive Branch, Mississippi (Olive Branch 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 improper recovery from a ballooned/bounced landing. The gusty wind was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Olive Branch, Mississippi · Olive Branch · 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
- N739ZA · no longer on the register · serial 172-70926
- 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 after making an approach to runway 18, '. . . the airplane ballooned on the landing and I could not keep it on the ground . . . .' The airplane then touched down hard and was damaged. The wind was reported to be from 170 degrees at 15 gusting 17 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: 53 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,888 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 13, 1996; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Douglas Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: OLV at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MEM, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N739ZA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.