Cessna 172P accident near Cornelius, Oregon, October 12, 2011
On October 12, 2011 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52013, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cornelius, Oregon (Skyport Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane’s encounter with an unseen hole or obstacle on the grass runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2011 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cornelius, Oregon · Skyport Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52013 · registry record · serial 17274394
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the training flight, the certified flight instructor (CFI) initiated a simulated engine power failure. The student pilot responded by establishing a glide speed of 65 knots and maneuvering to a nearby grass runway. During the final approach segment, with twenty degrees of flaps, the student pilot entered a slip and landed uneventfully. However, during the landing roll, the airplane hit a “hole or obstacle” and then bounced. The CFI applied power, aborted the landing, and returned to the departure airport. The aft fuselage sustained structural damage and skin deformation. The CFI reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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
- Simulated/training event during emergency descent
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on equipment
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command; 2,650 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 21, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,946 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 2011; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hillsboro Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: KHIO Hillsboro OR at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 4S4 Cornelius OR
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 34, 2,000 ft by 45 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.