Cessna 172P accident near Baltimore, Maryland, September 4, 2006
On September 4, 2006 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N65659, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland (Martin State 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, 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
- September 4, 2006 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Baltimore, Maryland · Martin State Airport · 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
- N65659 · no longer on the register · serial 17275805
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing flare, the airplane "ballooned up a little," and then landed hard. The student pilot then performed four more landings, before taxiing the airplane to the hangar without further incident. The pilot stated that no damage was evident during the post-flight examination of the airplane. A subsequent examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed a misaligned nose gear assembly, a buckled firewall, buckled fuselage flooring, and a buckled left wing outboard of the wing spar.
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: 15 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMTN Baltimore MD
- Destination: KMTN Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 6,996 ft by 180 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from KMTN
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 N65659 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.