Cessna 172P accident near Sanford, Florida, March 18, 2007
On March 18, 2007 at about 7:03 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N96319, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Florida (Orlando Sanford 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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors included a 90-degree crosswind, and the student pilot's improper in-flight decision to land on a runway with the crosswind rather than on an available runway with a headwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2007 · about 7:03 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · Orlando Sanford · 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
- N96319 · no longer on the register · serial 17276056
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was returning to his home airport in a Cessna 172P after an uneventful cross-country flight, and attempting to land on runway 27R when the accident occurred. Winds, about the time of the accident, were reported as 360 degrees true at 14 knots, gusting to 17 knots. After touchdown, the airplane veered to the left, went off the runway, and impacted a sign. Runway 36 was available for landing. No mechanical anomalies were noted 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: 75 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Avion Air Academy, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: OCF Ocala FL
- Destination: SFB Orlando FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 9,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 14 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 7:09 pm from SFB
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 N96319 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.