NTSB FTW92LA086 — 1992-03-09 · HARRISON, Arkansas, United States

Current FAA registration · N54956

Make / Model: CESSNA 172P
Year of manufacture: 1981 · 11 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19810624
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A6FC81

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N54956 Cessna 172P Minor

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER DESCENT RATE.

Factual narrative

UNAUTHORIZED PERSON(S) ENTERED A FBO AT APPROXIMATELY 2300 AND TOOK THE KEYS TO A CESSNA 172P. UPON RETURN TO THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD, APPROXIMATELY 90 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD, CAUSING THE NOSE WHEEL TO COLLAPSE. THE FORKS OF THE COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR DUG INTO THE GROUND CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO NOSE OVER ON ITS BACK. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BY THE LOCAL POLICE AT 0025, AFTER THEY WERE ALERTED BY THE LOCAL FSS OF AN ACTIVATED ELT. THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED ON FOOT. SEVERAL OPEN AND UNOPENED CANS OF BEER WERE FOUND IN THE AIRPLANE. THE OCCUPANTS WERE NEVER IDENTIFIED. EVIDENCE INDICATED AT LEAST MINOR INJURY TO ONE OR MORE OCCUPANTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1992_FTW92LA086.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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