Cessna 172P accident near Destin, Florida, March 6, 1998
On March 6, 1998 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N53456, was substantially damaged in an accident near Destin, Florida (Destin-Ft Walton Beach 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 pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1998 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Destin, Florida · Destin-Ft Walton Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N53456 · registry record · serial 172-74754
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he flared too high during landing. The airplane touched down and bounced back into the air, then landed hard on the nose wheel, resulting in damage to the firewall.
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: 67 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 41 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,031 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 1998; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D21 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTS at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from VPS, 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.
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.