Cessna 172 accidents

The NTSB database holds 12,209 accidents and incidents involving the Cessna 172, recorded between 1964 to 2026. 1,728 of them were fatal (14%), and 3,521 people died.

The deadliest year was 1978, with 204 deaths.

The phase of flight recorded most often is landing (2,531 records).

Most of these records are from United States, Canada and Mexico.

517 of these records cannot be placed at all, so they appear in the list below but not on the map.

For 5,757 of them the NTSB recorded no coordinates, so their position on the map is approximate.

12,209

Records

1,728

Fatal

3,521

Deaths

14%

Share fatal

1964 to 2026

Period

Show these on the map 11,692 of 12,209 can be placed (5,757 approximate)

By decade

1960s 1,903

1970s 2,892

1980s 2,353

1990s 1,745

2000s 1,500

2010s 1,126

2020s 690

Where these happened

United States 11,825 Canada 28 Mexico 26 Unknown/Not Reported 18 Australia 16 Spain 13

Operators involved

American Flyers 20 Civil Air Patrol, Inc. 18 Embry-Riddle A 16 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 13 Civil Air Patr 12 General Aviati 10

All 12,209 records by number of deaths, then by date

Date	Aircraft	Location	Operator	Outcome	Died
30 Jun 1981	Cessna 172P N52484	Hollister, Florida, United States approximate position	Laynes Flying	Fatal	2
23 Jun 1981	Cessna 172 N6417B	Price, Utah, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
17 Jun 1981	Cessna 172M N6760H	Healdsburg, California, United States approximate position	Hutchinson Air	Fatal	2
22 May 1981	Cessna 172 N4509E	Carbondale, Kansas, United States approximate position	Capitol Air SE	Fatal	2
3 May 1981	Cessna 172A N7458T	Silver Peak, Nevada, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
28 Apr 1981	Cessna 172M N5224R	Saginaw, Michigan, United States approximate position	Skyhawks Inc	Fatal	2
18 Apr 1981	Cessna 172 N19831	Tropic, Utah, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
1 Apr 1981	Cessna 172 N80352	Cholame, California, United States approximate position	Sunset Aero, In	Fatal	2
29 Mar 1981	Cessna 172N N738WP	Temecula, California, United States approximate position	Parsons'air	Fatal	2
25 Mar 1981	Cessna 172M N9826V	Kiowa, Colorado, United States approximate position	PC Flyers, Inc	Fatal	2
22 Mar 1981	Cessna 172N N5534D	Frazier Park, California, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
10 Mar 1981	Cessna 172 N733XU	Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States approximate position	Easton Aviatio	Fatal	2
7 Mar 1981	Cessna 172N N1357F	Newark, California, United States approximate position	Moffett Field	Fatal	2
13 Feb 1981	Cessna 172N N733KW	Jenkinsville, South Carolina, United States approximate position	Midland Aviati	Fatal	2
28 Dec 1980	Cessna 172 N19715	Petersburg, Virginia, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
22 Dec 1980	Cessna 172N N5093G	Venice, Florida, United States approximate position	Ingram Air SER	Fatal	2
28 Aug 1980	Cessna 172 N3885L	Wabasso, Florida, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
16 Aug 1980	Cessna 172M N12906	Caddo, Oklahoma, United States approximate position	Oklahoma Airme	Fatal	2
10 Aug 1980	Cessna 172 N739PP	Bois Blanc Is, Michigan, United States not on the map	-	Fatal	2
6 Aug 1980	Cessna 172M N9855Q	Bridgeport, Texas, United States approximate position	Acme School of	Fatal	2
4 Jul 1980	Cessna 172M N73290	Tombstone, Arizona, United States approximate position	Snoopy FLT SCH	Fatal	2
8 Jun 1980	Cessna 172 N8866B	Salisbury, North Carolina, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
25 May 1980	Cessna 172A N7803T	Tahoe City, California, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
3 May 1980	Cessna 172 N19672	Bethany, West Virginia, United States approximate position	Goodyear Tire	Fatal	2
16 Mar 1980	Cessna 172 N707BB	Rockland, Maine, United States approximate position	Berland Lincol	Fatal	2
15 Feb 1980	Cessna 172E N9982Q	Lanai City, Hawaii, United States approximate position	B P NAV FL CLB	Fatal	2
12 Feb 1980	Cessna 172M N1384U	Homer, Alaska, United States approximate position	Civil Air Patr	Fatal	2
3 Jan 1980	Cessna 172 N4290L	Coalinga, California, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
30 Dec 1979	Cessna 172N N738WX	Lindenhurst, New York, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
21 Dec 1979	Cessna 172K N736UL	Edwardsville, Illinois, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
11 Nov 1979	Cessna 172M N21479	Sugarland, Texas, United States approximate position	R&R Leasing	Fatal	2
20 Oct 1979	Cessna 172 N5072R	Fall Creek, Wisconsin, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
18 Sep 1979	Cessna 172G N3623L	Brownstown, Illinois, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
16 Sep 1979	Cessna 172XP N736QH	Intl Falls, Minnesota, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
11 Jul 1979	Cessna 172M N5471H	Little Rock, Arkansas, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
7 Jul 1979	Cessna 172M N172KA	Bremerton, Washington, United States approximate position	Falcon Aviatio	Fatal	2
3 Jul 1979	Cessna 172M N64168	Chenoa, Illinois, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
22 May 1979	Cessna 172M N1390U	Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States approximate position	Fleming Aviati	Fatal	2
5 May 1979	Cessna 172N C-GYVP	Challis, Idaho, United States approximate position	Norm Air Servi	Fatal	2
5 May 1979	Cessna 172A N7687T	Albany, Kentucky, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
4 May 1979	Cessna 172 N3047V	Centennial, Wyoming, United States approximate position	Civil Air Patr	Fatal	2
26 Apr 1979	Cessna 172M N61882	Gorman, California, United States approximate position	Security AVN.	Fatal	2
3 Mar 1979	Cessna 172 N738HR	Poland, Maine, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
23 Feb 1979	Cessna 172K N736FW	Dover Plains, New York, United States approximate position	Technical Serv	Fatal	2
9 Feb 1979	Cessna 172M N12752	Missing Aircraft, Unknown/Not Reported not on the map	-	Fatal	2
9 Feb 1979	Cessna 172 N12752	Camas, Washington, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
16 Jan 1979	Cessna 172N N2564L	Mount Judea, Arkansas, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
29 Dec 1978	Cessna 172XP N758CA	Abilene, Texas, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
2 Nov 1978	Cessna 172 N46037	Marcy, New York, United States approximate position	-	Fatal	2
15 Oct 1978	Cessna 172K N7500G	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States approximate position	Airtaix AVN	Fatal	2