Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

February 8, 2018 · Cessna 172M M · N1409U

Centralia, IL

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
February 8, 2018
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 serious injury)
Location
Centralia, IL
Aircraft
Cessna 172M M (1976)
Tail Number
N1409U
Operator
Airgo
Injuries
Serious
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
CEN18LA092

The pilot was conducting a takeoff for a supervised instructional flight. During the rotation, the right wing dropped. The pilot “turned the yoke to the left,” but the right wing continued to drop, which increased the bank angle. The pilot stated that he applied back pressure and said to himself, "I'm done." Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground on the west side of the runway resulting in substantial damage to the empennage, fuselage, and both wings. A witness, who was a flight instructor, reported that he was taxiing an airplane parallel to the runway from which the accident airplane took off. He stated that the airplane had a “very short ground roll” and a “nose high attitude” on takeoff. He watched the nose of the airplane continue to pitch up, and when the airplane was between about 150 and 200 ft above ground level, the right wing dropped “quickly,” the nose pitched down, and the airplane began to spin to the right before it impacted the ground. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the airplane revealed that the empennage had separated partially from the fuselage, that both wings exhibited aft accordion crushing, and that the engine was crushed aft into the fuselage. Given the flight instructor’s description of the accident sequence and the airplane damage, the pilot likely exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin.

Full Narrative

On February 8, 2018, about 1130 central standard time, a Cessna 172M airplane, N1409U, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Centralia, Illinois. The private pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The pilot stated that, during the takeoff roll, he rotated the airplane between about 70 and 80 knots and that, during rotation, the right wing dropped. The pilot then turned the yoke left, but the right wing continued to drop, increasing the bank angle. The pilot then “started applying back pressure” and said to himself, "I'm done." Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground on the west side of the runway. A witness, who was a flight instructor, was taxiing an airplane parallel to the runway from which the accident airplane took off. He stated that the airplane had a “very short ground roll” and a “nose high attitude” on takeoff. The nose continued to pitch up, and when the airplane was between about 150 and 200 ft above ground level, the right wing dropped “quickly,” the nose pitched down, and the airplane began to spin right before it impacted the ground. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failure with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the airplane revealed that the empennage had separated partially from the fuselage, that both wings exhibited aft accordion crush signatures, and that the engine was crushed aft into the fuselage.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:30 CST
Nearest AirportCentralia Muni (0nm)
Runway18
Runway Length5001 ft
Runway Width75 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna 172M M
Tail NumberN1409U
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorAirgo
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · O-320-E2D · Reciprocating · 160
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 serious injury)
Fatal0
Serious1
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 21 · First Class · Serious

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind190° @ 8 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point36 C / 23 C
Altimeter30.47 inHg
Observation Time11:35
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data