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ERA25LA118

2025-01-28 · Kennesaw, Georgia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RYY

Current FAA registration · N1159K

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2006 · 19 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20061128
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A04263

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate glide path and the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of the landing approach, which resulted in the airplane contacting the ground short of the runway.

Factual narrative

According to the flight instructor, the student pilot had previously completed three-night landings to a full stop and taxi back during the dual instructional flight. On the fourth attempt, the instructor elected to simulate a loss of engine power. While on final approach, the student pilot aligned the airplane with the runway centerline, and the flight instructor thought that the airplane would be able to reach the runway threshold. As the airplane approached the runway, the instructor described that the airplane was in a “flat position” and struck the ground, short of the runway. The nose landing gear was displaced upwards and aft which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s lower firewall. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot and instructor stated that they believed that the runway end identifier lights were not operating during their flight and that only the two outer left and right green lights were illuminated for the entirety of the flight, including the preceding three landings, which factored into their depth perception for touchdown. During correspondence with the student pilot following the accident, he provided an annotated aerial image where he circled the lights he believed to be inoperative at the time of the accident. According to the airport manager, the lights referenced by the student, which appeared to be the runway end and edge lighting, were operational at the time of the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Student/instructed pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other person-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ERA25LA118.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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