Cessna 172 accident near Mesa, Arizona, April 27, 2011
On April 27, 2011 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4072F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mesa, Arizona (Falcon Field 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 inadequate directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 2011 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Falcon Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4072F · no longer on the register · serial 36972
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was performing the first of three planned touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. During the landing roll, the airplane began to drift to the left. The pilot applied right rudder input, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Postaccident examination revealed evidence, including damage to the left side of the nose wheel rim and a bending overstress separation of the left steering rod tube, indicative of excessive side loading during landing. Further examination of the steering system did not reveal evidence of any preimpact anomalies 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,284 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 23, 2011; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 9:45 pm
- Destination: FFZ Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22R, 3,799 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from FFZ
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.