Cessna 172SP accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, May 5, 2007
On May 5, 2007 at about 1:31 am local time, a Cessna 172SP, registered N462ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Daytona Beach International 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 at night, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of recent night experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2007 · about 1:31 am local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Daytona Beach International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172SP · all 172SPs on the register
- Registration
- N462ER · registry record · serial 172S10282
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the private pilot, as she approached to land on the runway at the large, well lit, international airport, the Cessna 172SP was "a little high, a little fast, and I flared higher than usual." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and collapsed the nose landing gear, which resulted in substantial damage. According to the pilot, it was her first night solo flight at this airport, and the purpose of the flight was preparation for an additional rating. A review of her logbook revealed that she had accumulated 160 total hours of flight experience, of which 22 hours were at night. She had performed only one night landing with an instructor 2 nights before the accident flight, and the most recent night landing before the instructional flight was 64 days prior.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 160 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
The flight
- Departed from: DAB Daytona Beach FL at 1:15 am
- Destination: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7R, 3,195 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
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.
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.