Cessna 172M accident near Pierson, Florida, July 30, 1999
On July 30, 1999 at about 11:45 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9880V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pierson, Florida (Pierson Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's (pilot in command) failure to achieve the proper touch down point, his improper decision to continue the touch and go, and failure to abort the takeoff in sufficient time, resulting in the aircraft overrunning the runway and colliding with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 1999 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Pierson, Florida · Pierson Municipal Airport · map
- 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
- N9880V · no longer on the register · serial 17269593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was conducting dual flight instruction and had just completed a short field landing, continued the rollout, and transitioned to a soft field take off, when he noticed the engine was not producing full power and he felt he was not going to make it. The pilot further stated that there was a lack of acceleration so he aborted the takeoff, but the wheels locked on the wet grass and the aircraft overan the runway. Examination by an FAA inspector after the accident showed that the airplane landed long, with about 1,300 feet of the 2,800 foot turf runway remaining. Postcrash running of the engine by the FAA inspector revealed that the engine developed power in accordance with the Cessna pilot operating handbook, and showed no defects.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 450 hours in all; 82 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 370 as pilot in command; 52 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,486 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 8, 1999; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aviation Training Associates
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 10:30 am
- Destination: SFB Sanford FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,600 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from DAB, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N9880V 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.