On January 26, 2008, a Cessna 172S operated by American Pilot Services was involved in an aviation accident near Westiminster, MD. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The improper flare performed by the student pilot. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A student pilot experienced a porpoising event during landing in a Cessna 172S, resulting in a propeller strike.
What happened
On January 26, 2008, a Cessna 172S, registration N65329, was participating in left closed traffic for landing at an airport in Westminster, Maryland. During the landing sequence, the student pilot flared the aircraft at too high an altitude and made a hard touchdown. This caused the airplane to begin porpoising down the runway. During the subsequent oscillations, the propeller struck the runway surface, causing the firewall to buckle.
There were no injuries resulting from this accident. The event was reported to the NTSB on February 29, 2008.
Probable cause
The improper flare performed by the student pilot.
Contributing factors
Incorrect use/operationStudent pilot
Related events
Same aircraft family
24 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172B
23 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172
18 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172
16 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172M (CK Aviation LLC)
9 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172
8 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172N
7 Sep 2026 — CESSNA 172N (Tin Cup Investments INC)
24 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172M
21 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172P (Vascular Wings LLC)
18 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172L (Ocala Aviation Services INC)
16 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172L (Foothill Aircraft Sales and Service Inc.)
9 Aug 2026 — CESSNA 172N (Kimber 123 Holdings LLC)
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