Cessna 172S N529ND
11 April 2026 · Marathon, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 April 2026 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N529ND, operated by Phoenix East Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Marathon, Florida, United States. 8 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.
The record
- Date
- at 17:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Marathon, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- The Florida Keys Marathon Intl (MTH)
- Coordinates
- 24.7757, -80.9342
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S
- Registration
- N529ND
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2009
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Phoenix East Aviation LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Key West → Hollywood
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- NTSB number
- ERA26LA167
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On April 11, 2026, about 1330 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S airplane, N529ND sustained substantial damage and a Raytheon Aircraft Company B200 (King Air) airplane, N699BW sustained minor damage when they collided in flight near Marathon, Florida. The 2 pilots aboard the Cessna and the 2 pilots and 4 passengers aboard the King Air were not injured. The Cessna was being operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight, and the King Air was being operated as Title 14 CFR Part 91 business flight. Preliminary air traffic control communications and ADS-B data provided by the FAA showed that the King Air departed Marsh Harbour (MHH), Bahamas to the southwest inbound to the Florida Keys Marathon International Airport (MTH), Marathon, Florida. About 20 nautical miles northeast of MTH, the pilot requested to cancel their instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to MTH. The IFR cancellation was received, and a frequency change was approved. Air traffic control informed the King Air pilots that there was traffic flying in the opposite direction at 15 miles and 5,500 ft “following the keychain.” The King Air pilots subsequently reset their transponder code from a discrete code to 1200 (the standard transponder code used by airplanes operating under visual flight rules [VFR]) as they were descending out of about 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The Cessna pilots reported that they were northeast bound at 5,500 ft msl, about 10 miles northwest of MTH, operating VFR with flight following. Air traffic control notified them of unknown traffic ahead at 12 o’clock and 1 mile descending out of 6,200 ft msl. Immediately after the traffic advisory, the Cessna pilot reported that “we had a midair collision,” declared an emergency, and returned to MTH for landing. The Cessna pilots stated that they had briefly observed the King Air immediately before the collision but were unable to take evasive action. The pilot advised the controller of left wing damage and control difficulties and requested emergency services upon landing. The pilot in command (PIC) of the King Air reported he was looking out the window, scanning for the traffic, when he observed the Cessna immediately before impact. He attempted evasive action; however, the left engine, wing and propeller impacted the left wing of the Cessna, which resulted in substantial damage to the Cessna’s wing and aileron. The outboard 36 inches of the Cessna’s left wing was sheared off and crumpled, with the aileron remaining partially attached, and bent aft. The King Air sustained minor damage to the left propeller, engine intake and the leading edge of the left wing. Both airplanes landed safely at MTH and were retained for further examination following the collision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 172S | N529ND | Phoenix East Aviation LLC | Substantial |
| Beechcraft B200 | N699BW | Beech Transport LLC | Substantial |
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 2026 | Cessna 172 | Cleburne, Texas, United States | DGJ TEX LLC DBA | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Cessna 172S | The Rock, Georgia, United States | US Aviation Academy | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 2026 | Cessna 172S | Morgan Hill, California, United States | Golf November Aero LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 2026 | Cessna 172M | Mangalur, India | M/s Redbird Flying Training Pvt. Ltd. | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2026 | Cessna 172 | 6th of October City, Egypt | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Cessna 172 | Topeka, Kansas, United States | Odyssey Aircraft LLC | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Feb 2026 | Pipistrel TAURUS 503 | Boynton Beach, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 2026 | North American AT-6D | Bronson, Florida, United States | Osprey Aircraft LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Piper J3C-65 | Crestview, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 2026 | Beechcraft B19 | Umatilla, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Apr 2026 | Bell 407 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | City of Jacksonville | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 2026 | Cessna 320C | Bartow, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |