NTSB MIA98LA095 — 1998-03-06 · DESTIN, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N53456

Make / Model: CESSNA 172P
Year of manufacture: 1981 · 17 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19810306
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A6C26F

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N53456 Cessna 172P None

Probable cause & findings

the pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

On March 6, 1998, about 1030 central standard time, a Cessna 172P, registered to Miracle Strip Aviation Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed on landing at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Destin, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated about 15 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he flared too high on landing. The airplane touched down and bounced back into the air and landed hard on the nosewheel. Examination of the airplane revealed the firewall was buckled. The pilot stated he flared too high during landing. The airplane touched down and bounced back into the air, then landed hard on the nose wheel, resulting in damage to the firewall. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1998_MIA98LA095.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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