Cessna 172S N798SP

Summary

On 6 February 2025 at about 20:10 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N798SP, operated by Texas State Technical College, was involved in an accident near Waco, Texas, United States. One person was 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

6 February 2025 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Waco, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Texas State Tech College Waco (CNW)

Coordinates

31.6378, -97.0741

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N798SP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Texas State Technical College

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waco → Waco

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA095

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s inadequate landing flare that led to a bounced landing, and her improper pitch control during the attempted recovery that resulted in a nose down pitch attitude upon the second touchdown.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that while conducting a solo flight she initially flared too high over the runway, but she decreased airplane pitch and continued with the landing. When she flared a second time, she did not use enough aft elevator input and the airplane landed flat, bounced, and then landed on the nose landing gear. After coming to a full stop, she notified the tower that she was unable to taxi, shutdown the engine, and exited the airplane at which point she saw that the propeller had struck the runway during the landing. Additional examination of the airframe revealed buckling of the lower fuselage structure. The chief pilot of the flight school reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.