Cessna 172M accident near Salisbury, Maryland, October 30, 1997
On October 30, 1997 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N1487V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salisbury, Maryland (Salsbury-Ocean City Reg. 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 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
- October 30, 1997 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salisbury, Maryland · Salsbury-Ocean City Reg. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1487V · registry record · serial 17263621
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the student pilot was landing, after a solo cross country flight, the airplane began to float in ground effect. The student pilot then pushed the controls forward touching down on the nose wheel. The airplane began to bounce and subsequently sustained substantial damage.
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: 157 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,737 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 9, 1997; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Brett Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MTN Baltimore MD at 2:45 pm
- Destination: SBY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 32, 5,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from SBY
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.