Cessna 172P accident near Westfield, Massachusetts, April 9, 2004
On April 9, 2004 at about 3:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N5425K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westfield, Massachusetts (Barnes Municipal 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 student pilot's improper flare and his failure to maintain aircraft control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2004 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Westfield, Massachusetts · Barnes Municipal · 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
- N5425K · registry record · serial 17274106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the student pilot's first solo landing, as the airplane neared the runway, it climbed slightly and dropped "very fast" back to the runway surface. The airplane touched down hard on the runway, collapsing the landing gear assembly and buckling the firewall. The airplane veered left and came to rest in a grass field. The student pilot did not report any malfunctions with the airplane.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 13 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,511 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2004; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BAF at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from BAF
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 N5425K 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.