- Date
- May 18, 2026, 13:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Harrison, NY
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5114ZCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2026
- 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
- 20260518007089A
- Case key
- 203015
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 student pilot’s excessive pitch up attitude during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
Findings · 3
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 and student pilot reported that they were conducting a soft field takeoff when the student pilot applied excessive aft control yoke input, and the stall warning horn sounded. The flight instructor directed the student pilot to release some back pressure and pushed forward on the control yoke, which lowered the pitch attitude of the airplane. Subsequently, the student pilot aggressively reapplied what he thought was the appropriate amount of aft control yoke input and the airplane pitched up. The flight instructor attempted to correct for the excessive pitch up; however, she was unable to overpower the student pilot. The airplane stalled, rolled to the left and impacted the ground sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5114Z
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10927
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 10,379
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 7, 2026 · 28 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HPN · Westchester County, runway 11, 4,451 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 59 total · 59 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 15, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 665 total · 451 in this make and model · 524 as pilot in command · 212 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- HPN
- METAR
- METAR KHPN 181756Z 17010G17KT 10SM CLR 28/17 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP201 T02830172 10289 20222 58013
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 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.