Cessna 172M accident near Albany, Oregon, August 19, 2025
On August 19, 2025, a 1973 Cessna 172M, registered N20490, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Albany, Oregon (Albany Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2025
- Place
- Albany, Oregon · Albany Municipal Airport · 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
- N20490 · registry record · serial 17261333
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane bounced, and the pilot attempted to hold the airplane level to bleed off airspeed. The airplane then bounced three more times, and its pitch increased after each bounce. After the fourth bounce, the airplane ballooned, and the pilot applied back pressure to the yoke. Subsequently, the airplane’s pitch decreased rapidly, and the airplane impacted the runway surface in a nose low attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 720.2 hours in all; 143.6 in this make and model; 32.4 in the last 90 days; 3.3 in the last 30 days; 302.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 16, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 16, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVO Corvallis OR at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,004 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,800 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 am from KEUG, 31 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KEUG 180954Z AUTO 21009KT 10SM OVC048 17/12 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP160 T01670117=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture 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 November 4, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | 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.
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.