Cessna 172C accident near Grants Pass, Oregon, May 7, 2011
On May 7, 2011 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172C, registered N8287X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Grants Pass, Oregon (Grants Pass 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 student pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed on approach, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2011 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Grants Pass, Oregon · Grants Pass · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172C · all 172Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8287X · registry record · serial 17248787
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was practicing short field landings and configured the airplane with full flaps on the approach. The student pilot reduced power too early for the airplane configuration, which caused a loss of airspeed and a subsequent hard landing. During subsequent annual maintenance, a mechanic noted that the firewall was bent. The student pilot 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 Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the engine
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 140 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 6, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,951 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3S8 Grants Pass OR at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 3S8 Grants Pass OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KMFR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 14, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N8287X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8287X on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grants Pass Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Oregon 1,864 since 1982 · 279 in the last ten years
- Oregon 7,012 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N8287X 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA489.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.