Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure the security of the seat prior to flight, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent hard landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot was conducting touch-and-go practice takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. She reported that during the landing flare for the final landing, her seat slid aft. The airplane ballooned and subsequently landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and cabin floor structure. The accident airplane make/model was the subject of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive (AD) regarding seat slippage, issued three years prior to the accident. Review of the airplane's maintenance logs revealed that the airplane had received the inspections required by the AD, and examination of the seat rail and latching mechanism by an FAA inspector revealed no anomalies.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14CA331 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 24, 2014
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Nearest airport
- Kendall-Tamiami Executive (TMB)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Cessna 172M
- N-number
- N621AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1975
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.