Cessna 172N accident near Venice, Florida, October 1, 1998
On October 1, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N733HK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Venice, Florida (Venice Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Venice, Florida · Venice Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N733HK · registry record · serial 17268305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the fourth and final landing, the airplane touched down and bounced 2 or 3 times; during this time the throttle was at idle and the elevator control was full aft. After the airplane landed on the runway, he elected to perform a go-around and applied power but there was no response from the elevator. He aborted the takeoff and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway near the departure end of the runway. The pilot further stated that there was no preimpact failure or malfunction of the engine or flight controls. Postcrash inspection of the airplane revealed that the elevator flight control cables were binding due to the buckled floor in the cockpit area.
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: 160 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 85 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,502 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 1998; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNC at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from SRQ, 20 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.
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.