Cessna 172N accident near Ronan, Montana, August 8, 2025
On August 8, 2025 at about 3:04 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 172N, registered N734SW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ronan, Montana (Ronan 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 inadequate landing flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 2025 · about 3:04 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Ronan, Montana · Ronan · 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 172N, built 1977 · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734SW · registry record · serial 17269086
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was for the student pilot to perform a solo cross-country and land at the accident airport. The student pilot stated that following a stabilized approach, he did not properly maneuver the airplane into a flare. The airplane touched down hard on the runway surface and bounced back into the air. The airplane then touched down again and then bounced multiple times, porpoising along the runway. As a result of the impact, the airplane incurred damage to the firewall. The student pilot noted that he failed to add engine power to correct the self-induced oscillation. He stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 37 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,863 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 2025; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Red Eagle Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: S27 Kalispell MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16/3, 4,798 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 am from 7S0
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 17, 2025. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photographs (Provided by Operator) | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N734SW 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 O-320-H2AD 83 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ronan Airport · nearest airport
- Kalispell City Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,119 since 1982 · 164 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,049 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA243.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.