Cessna 172R accident near Napa, California, September 28, 2011
On September 28, 2011 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172R, registered N21284, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Napa, California (Napa 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 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
- September 28, 2011 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Napa, California · Napa County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N21284 · no longer on the register · serial 17281178
- 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 on a solo training flight. The student flew in the local practice area and then returned to the departure airport for touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The student completed one landing uneventfully. On the second landing, as the student flared, the airplane ballooned to approximately 20 feet above ground level. The airplane dropped hard and the nose and right wing impacted the runway, followed by the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the wing spar sustained substantial damage. The student reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,467 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 14, 2011; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Iasco Flight Training INC
The flight
- Departed from: APC Napa CA at 7:50 pm
- Destination: APC Napa CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18R, 5,930 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from APC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.