Cessna 172N accident near Statesboro, Georgia, November 17, 2007
On November 17, 2007 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6492E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Statesboro, Georgia (Statesboro-Bulloch County 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 a proper flare at touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 2007 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Statesboro, Georgia · Statesboro-Bulloch County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6492E · registry record · serial 17272024
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 27-hour student pilot of the Cessna 172N successfully completed the first leg of a solo cross country flight, and returned for landing on runway 23 at his airport of origin. The pilot reported that on final approach, he was lined up correctly, was at the appropriate speed, and that everything "felt good." He also reported that when he began the flare, a gust of wind "caught the back of the plane," and lifted the tail. The pilot believed that he had landed nose gear first. He completed the rollout and taxied to the terminal without further incident. The pilot did not experience any preimpact failures or malfunctions with the airplane, and a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the propeller, nose landing gear and firewall. The weather observation at the airport about the time of the accident recorded winds from 220 degrees at 4 knots.
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: 27 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,616 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pegasus Air
The flight
- Departed from: BNL Barnwell SC at 8:45 pm
- Destination: TBR Statesboro GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,383 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from TBR
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.