Cessna 172S accident near Santa Ynez, California, August 16, 2014
On August 16, 2014 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2005 Cessna 172S, registered N10033, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Santa Ynez, California (Santa Ynez 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's inadequate flare and loss of aircraft control during landing, which resulted in multiple bounces.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2014 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ynez, California · Santa Ynez · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S, built 2005 · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N10033 · registry record · serial 172S9797
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting his final required solo cross-country flight. The flight to the first destination was uneventful, and the pilot entered the left-hand traffic pattern for the runway at the non-towered airport. The pilot reported that his base-to-final turn was slightly "wide," which placed the airplane to the right of the extended runway centerline. He also reported that he was "a little high" on the final approach. He corrected his flight path, and was satisfied that the airplane was positioned for a normal landing. The pilot used full flaps for this landing, as was his normal habit pattern. The airplane landed slightly beyond where the pilot had planned, but not far enough down the runway to cause him any concern. The touchdown was "hard," the airplane bounced, and the pilot "re-flared" to correct the situation. The airplane began "porpoising" and bounced at least two more times before the pilot was able to regain control and keep it on the ground. During the bounces, the pilot did not adjust the power or consider aborting the landing attempt. Although he had learned about porpoising in his ground training, he had never experienced it prior to this event, and did not immediately recall or implement the flight school's recommended corrective action, which was a go-around. The pilot taxied the airplane to a parking spot, and discovered that the airplane was substantially damaged. The firewall, cockpit floor, and several fuselage skins were buckled, and elevator travel was restricted. The 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- 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/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 99 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,637 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 8, 2014; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Channel Islands Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: CMR Camarillo CA
- Destination: IZA Santa Ynez CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,803 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from iza
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR14CA351.