Cessna 172S accident near Phoenix, Arizona, July 26, 2013
On July 26, 2013 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N635ND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A substantially damaged firewall that occurred during an unknown phase of flight for reasons that could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2013 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N635ND · registry record · serial 172S11294
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a preflight inspection, a flight instructor discovered that the airplane’s firewall was substantially damaged. The operator reported that the damage occurred during an unknown flight operation. The airplane's last maintenance inspection occurred about a month prior to the discovery, equating to about 52 flight hours. Numerous pilots flew the airplane during that duration, none of which reported an event that would result in damage to the airplane. A determination as to the cause of the accident could not be made.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,558 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: The Und Aerospace Foundation
The flight
- Departed from: IWA Phoenix AZ
- Destination: IWA Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 30R
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.