# Accident 20260413006759A: Cessna 172S, Thomaston, GA, April 13, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 13, 2026, 17:28 local time
- Place: Thomaston, GA
- Airport: Thomaston-Upson County
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 32.9556° N, 84.2650° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9556&lon=-84.2650&mi=10
- Aircraft: N63405, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N63405) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (registry code 41597, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 54 total, 44 in this make and model, 21 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26LA174](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA174) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260413006759A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AT APPROXIMATELY 1729 EDT, DURING A SOLO LANDING ON RUNWAY 12 AT THOMASTON-UPSON COUNTY AIRPORT (KOPN), THE STUDENT PILOT, OPERATING A CESSNA 172S, ENCOUNTERED A LIGHT GUST OF WIND DURING THE LANDING PHASE, WHICH RESULTED IN A SLIGHT BALLOON PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY FIRST, FOLLOWED BY A FIRM NOSE GEAR CONTACT. FOLLOWING INITIAL TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT’S NOSE OSCILLATED FORE AND AFT APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES STRIKING THE PROP AND THE TAIL BEFORE STABILIZING. THE STUDENT PILOT SUBSEQUENTLY TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND SHUT DOWN AT A DESIGNATED PARKING AREA NEAR THE FBO. AFTER SHUTDOWN, THE STUDENT PILOT AND A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND IDENTIFIED DAMAGE. US AVIATION ACADEMY WAS THEN NOTIFIED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA26LA174](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA174), Apr 13, 2026: Cessna 172S (N63405), The Rock, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, porpoised landing.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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