Textron 172S N726ER

Summary

On 20 February 2025 at about 21:45 local time, a Textron 172S registered N726ER, operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc, was involved in an accident near Cottonwood, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 February 2025 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Cottonwood, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Cottonwood (P52)

Coordinates

34.7301, -112.0351

Aircraft

Textron 172S

Registration

N726ER

Category

Airplane

Year built

2023

Engines

1

Operator

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prescott → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA105

Nobody was injured.

The pilot undergoing instructions’ loss of aircraft control during landing, and the flight instructor’s failure to promptly intervene.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing landing maneuvers with their flight instructor. The early part of the flight was uneventful, and they decided to work on short-field landings, all of which resulted in go-arounds. They subsequently started to practice power-off 180° landings, and on the third landing attempt, the airplane was high on the approach. The student performed a forward slip maneuver, however the airplane was traveling too fast on touchdown, and it bounced. The nose then dropped, and the nosewheel struck the runway. The flight instructor took the flight controls just as the nosewheel struck the runway again and added power to initiate a go-around. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the sequence, however the airplane performance appeared unaffected and the crew continued training unaware of the damage. It was not until after landing, when the lesson was complete, that they noticed damage to the propeller tip and forward fuselage structure. The pilot and flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.