Cessna 172M accident near Obyan, November 24, 2014
On November 24, 2014 at about 8:17 am local time, a 1973 Cessna 172M, registered N12915, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Obyan (Francisco C. Ada/Saipan Intl 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 loss of airplane control during the landing flare in gusting wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2014 · about 8:17 am local time
- Place
- Obyan · Francisco C. Ada/Saipan Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M, built 1973 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N12915 · no longer on the register · serial 17262368
- 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 flying the first leg of a solo cross-country flight. The departure was uneventful, and she requested a stop-and-go landing with air traffic controllers as she approached the first destination. She received the clearance and began to initiate the descent while extending the flaps. During the landing flare the airplane encountered a gust of wind, and she applied forward elevator pressure. The nosewheel struck the ground hard and she attempted to perform a go-around, but the airplane departed to the right of the runway and came to rest in a grass area. The nose gear was bent aft during the initial ground strike, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and forward fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine 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 in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
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/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 76 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 24, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,212 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 21, 2014; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 4,191 hours total
- Operator: Micronesian Aviation Systems INC
The flight
- Departed from: GUM Agana at 6:45 am
- Destination: GSN Obyan
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 07, 8,700 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from PGSN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 9, 2015. 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 |
| 2 | Photo 1 - Airplane Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 - Airplane Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.