- Date
- August 21, 2025, 19:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- Gaithersburg, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N505LPCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing area overshoot
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250821011479A
- Case key
- 200852
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s distraction during landing, which resulted in a long landing and subsequent runway excursion.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot had an tablet computer in her lap. During the landing flare, the tablet interfered with the student pilot’s control input. In an attempt to assist the student, the flight instructor briefly diverted her attention from the landing, to shift the tablet away from the control yoke. When the flight instructor looked back outside, she realized that the airplane had floated more than halfway down the runway and had not touched down. She took control of the airplane but decided not to attempt a go-around due to trees at the runway end. The flight instructor applied full braking, but when she realized that the airplane was not going to stop on the runway, she steered left down a small embankment, rather than risk a larger embankment at the end of the runway. The nose landing gear partially collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright off the left side end of the runway. The forward portion of the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The flight instructor added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505LP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8546
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 6,011
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wifa (Washington International Flight Academy) LLC
- Registered owner
- Wifa (Washington International Flight Academy) LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 31, 2025
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GAI · Montgomery County Airpark, runway 32, 4,202 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 394 total · 21 in this make and model · 329 as pilot in command · 86 in the last 90 days · 46 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 26 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- GAI
- METAR
- SPECI KGAI 212332Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN022 BKN060 21/21 A2995 RMK AO2 PNO $=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N505LP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.