NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA97LA165
Registry · N9504H
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172M
Year of manufacture
1975 · 22 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19751106
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD3793
Registrant of record
PATTERSON CLIFFORD WAYNE
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
failure of the pilot to ensure all articles in the aircraft were secured before flight, and subsequently, an oil can becoming lodged under the rudder pedals and preventing her from controlling the aircraft during landing.
Factual narrative
On May 14, 1997, about 1405 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N9504H, registered to an individual, ran off the runway while landing at Vero Beach Municipal Airport, Vero Beach, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the private-rated pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Key West, Florida, the same day, about 1100. The pilot stated that after landing on runway 11 left, she was unable to control the aircraft using the rudder pedals and wheel brakes. The rudder pedals seemed not to be working. The aircraft swerved to the left and went off the side of the runway. The aircraft then made a right turn and came to rest facing the runway. After the accident she found a 1-quart oil can under the left rudder pedal, which she believes slipped forward from the back seat area. During landing rollout, the pilot was unable to control the aircraft using rudder and wheel brake controls. The aircraft went off the side of the runway and turned around toward the runway as it came to rest. After the aircraft stopped the pilot found a 1 quart can of engine oil lodged under the left rudder pedal. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1997_MIA97LA165.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Pitch Down Impact Onto Soft Soil
During the summer of 2015, NASA Langley Research Center conducted three full-scale crash tests of Cessna 172 (C-172) aircraft at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Simulating the Impact Response of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests of Cessna 172 Aircraft
During the summer of 2015, a series of three full-scale crash tests were performed at the Landing and Impact Research Facility located at NASA Langley Research Center of Cessna 172 aircraft.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Validation of Training Satisfaction Survey
The Training Satisfaction Survey (TSS) was developed as part of a larger project to examine the features of Virtual Reality software and supporting devices as a training program on visual illusions an…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Data in Brief)
Cockpit voice recorder transcript data: Capturing safety voice and safety listening during historic aviation accidents
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts capture audio data within cockpit environments. This aids the investigation of causal factors contributing to aviation accidents by revealing communication and…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Safety Science)
Safety voice and safety listening during aviation accidents: Cockpit voice recordings reveal that speaking-up to power is not enough
Abstract Safety voice is theorised as an important factor for mitigating accidents, but behavioural research during actual hazards has been scant.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Can Backward-Chained, Ab-Initio Pilot Training Decrease Time to First Solo?
Flight simulation has made progressively significant inroads into pilot training at all levels of a pilot’s career – typically starting with training for the Instrument rating in light aircraft and co…
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