Cessna 172S accident near Redlands, California, July 15, 2013
On July 15, 2013 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N625SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Redlands, California (Redlands Municipal 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 and unsuccessful attempt to correct a bounced landing, which resulted in the overrun landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2013 · about 8:05 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Redlands, California · Redlands Municipal Airport · 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 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N625SP · registry record · serial 172S8616
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a solo cross-country flight the student pilot had attempted to land twice but due to the gusty wind conditions he had aborted the attempts. On the third attempt to land, the gusty wind conditions had not changed. The student pilot reported that his approach speed was never low enough to extend the flaps beyond 10 degrees. On touchdown the airplane bounced twice, and on the third touchdown point he reported he was "far down the runway and still had a lot of speed." The student pilot determined that the airplane was traveling too fast to stop prior to the runway ending, so he attempted to turn left at the runway end taxiway. The airplane did not negotiate the turn and the airplane departed the taxiway and into a drainage ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and to the right wing. The student pilot reported no preaccident 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
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student pilot
- 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
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Not specified
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 68 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,419 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 31, 2013; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 L2A (piston); 4,419 hours total
- Operator: Mustang Sally Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA at 7:03 pm
- Destination: REI Redlands CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,504 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KREI
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 October 22, 2013. 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N625SP 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: Lycoming IO360 L2A 2,646 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Redlands Municipal · nearest airport
- Long Beach (Daugherty Field) · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13CA328.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.