Cessna 172S accident near Asheville, North Carolina, May 9, 2007
On May 9, 2007 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N924LP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Asheville, North Carolina (Asheville Regional 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 landing flare which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in the accident was the visual illusion experienced by the pilot from landing on a long, wide runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2007 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Asheville, North Carolina · Asheville Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N924LP · registry record · serial 172S9204
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, since the Cessna 172 was "high," he adjusted the flight controls for a "rapid" descent, and intercepted the visual glideslope on short final. At that point, the flaps were fully deployed, and the throttle at idle. Once over the runway, the pilot flared too "high," the airplane landed hard, and bounced about four times with each bounce becoming more "violent." On the last bounce, the airplane touched down nosewheel first, and the propeller struck the runway. The pilot added that there were no problems with the airplane, and that the runway was twice as long, and twice as wide as his home runway, causing him to initiate the landing flare too high.
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: 208 hours in all; 137 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,145 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2007
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Montgomery County Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: LYH Lynchburg VA
- Destination: AVL Asheville NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.