# NTSB CEN26LA201: Cessna 172H, N2632L, Berryville, AR, May 25, 2026 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: May 25, 2026, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC) - Place: Berryville, AR · airstrip - Coordinates: 36.327, -93.617 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3270&lon=-93.6170&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 17, 2026 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards - NTSB case key (mKey): 203073 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN26LA201 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203073/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=203073 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA201 ## Probable cause The pilot in command’s decision to continue the takeoff when the airplane was not airborne at midfield, and the student pilot’s likely improper technique that resulted in a lack of sufficient climb performance and subsequent loss of control. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: climb rate](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062035): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062035/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 265 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062035/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172H, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2072424), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot-in-command was in the right front seat. She held a commercial pilot certificate and a current flight review endorsement. The passenger was in the left front seat. He held a student pilot certificate with a current 90-day solo endorsement and was flying the airplane during the accident takeoff. The airplane departed from a 3,000-foot-long grass airstrip with trees and powerlines off the departure end. The before takeoff checklist and engine run-up were completed without issue. The airplane used about 75% of the runway to become airborne. At that point, the student pilot (flying pilot) realized that the airplane was not going to clear the powerlines and trees. He turned the airplane to the left and “pulled back” on the flight control yoke. The airplane subsequently lost energy and impacted the ground near the departure end of the runway. Both pilots stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures associated with the airplane before the accident. They noted that aborting the takeoff, once the airplane was not airborne at the halfway point down the runway, might have prevented the accident. According to the Airplane Owner’s Manual, the estimated distance required to clear a 50-foot obstacle on a turf runway, under the accident conditions, was about 1,028 ft. The pilot’s decision to continue the takeoff when the airplane was not airborne near midfield was the beginning of the accident sequence. In the absence of any airplane anomalies, it is likely that the flying pilot’s handling technique resulted in the lack of sufficient climb performance, loss of control, and the impact with terrain. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2632L](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2632L), registered now, S/N 17255832, built 1967 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172H - Registry model: [Cessna 172H](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (registry code 2072424) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17255832 - Year built: 1967 - Airframe hours: 2267.24 - Engines: Continental O-300 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, December 1, 2025, 55.8 hours before - Departed: 17A, Berryville, AR - Destination: FSM, Fort Smith, AR - Airport: 17A, Trigger Gap, runway 10, 3,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf - Equipment: Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: minor; student; medical: basicmed, without waivers/limitations; last flight review February 28, 2026; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 131 total, 126 in this make and model, 37 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days - Pilot; age 25; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 13, 2025; seat: right; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 339 total, 241 in this make and model, 232 as pilot in command, 54 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 80° at 5 knots, gusting 1 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 59 °F - Altimeter: 30.02 inHg - Observed at: KHRO, 23 nm away - METAR: METAR KHRO 252253Z AUTO 08005KT 10SM SCT045 SCT055 26/15 A3002 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20260525007519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260525007519A), May 25, 2026: Cessna 172H, Berryville, AR, Destroyed. On may 25, 2026, at approximately 16:50, the Berryville, Arkansas, police and first responders were called to 17A Trigger Gap Airstrip, where it was reported… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=203073. 14.5 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 10 pages, 12.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20553222&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Accident%20Report%20--%20CEN26LA201_redacted-Rel.pdf - FAA airplane examination summary (item 2, PDF, 3 pages, 269 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20554373&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Airplane%20Examination%20Summary_redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigation photos (item 3, PDF, 5 pages, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20555171&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Investigation%20Photos%20--%20CEN26LA201-Rel.pdf - Airplane owner's manual (excerpt) (item 4, PDF, 3 pages, 323 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20554075&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=POH%20Cessna%20172H%20(Excerpt)%20--%20CEN26LA201-Rel.pdf - FAA SAIB CE-09-35 / carburetor icing probability (item 5, PDF, 3 pages, 466 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20553195&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20SAIB%20CE-09-35%20(Carburetor%20Icing%20Probability)-Rel.pdf - FAA regulation -- responsibility and authority of the pilot in command (14 CFR 91.3) (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 30 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20568201&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Regulations%20(Excerpt)%20--%2014%20CFR%2091.3-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.