NTSB CAROL · Event
Event SEA06CA082
Registry · N20488
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172M
Year of manufacture
1973 · 33 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19730122
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1A470
Registrant of record
AURORA 17 HOLDINGS LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare resulting in a hard landing. A related factor was the crosswind.
Factual narrative
On March 28, 2006, approximately 0925, Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172, N20488, experienced a hard landing at Aurora State Airport, Aurora, Oregon. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is operated by Willamette Aviation, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight, which departed the same airport approximately 25 minutes prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. According to the student pilot, he was trying to land in a 12 knot crosswind when he failed to flare soon enough to ensure a normal touchdown. Therefore, the aircraft landed hard, bounced back into the air, and then came down on the nose gear and the right main landing gear. The force of the landing was sufficient to result in substantial damage to the aircraft's firewall. The student pilot was trying to land in a 12 knot crosswind when he failed to flare soon enough to ensure a normal touchdown. Therefore, the aircraft landed hard, bounced back into the air, and then came down on the nose gear and the right main landing gear. The force of the landing was sufficient to result in substantial damage to the aircraft's firewall. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2006_SEA06CA082.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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