# Accident 19960507009569A: Cessna 172P, Reno, NV, May 7, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 7, 1996, 11:35 local time
- Place: Reno, NV
- Airport: Reno/Stead Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.4797° N, 119.7407° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4797&lon=-119.7407&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5394K (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172P
- Reported engine: LYC O320D2J
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 79 total, 9 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX96LA192](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96LA192) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960507009569A

## Narrative

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

STALLED AND LANDED HARD ON THE NOSEWHEEL. (.4)THE PILOT THOUGHT HIS AIRCRAFT WAS TOO HIGH AS HE TURNED FINAL, BUT AFTER LOWERING ADDITIONAL FLAPS HE ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BECOME TOO LOW AND SLOW.  WHEN HE SAW THE VASI LIGHTS INDICATIONS HE THOUGHT THAT THE AIRCRAFT MIGHT LAND SHORT.  HE APPLIED 'SOME' POWER BUT IT DID NOT STOP THE AIRCRAFT FROM SINKING.  HE RESPONDED BY INCREASING BACK PRESSURE IN AN ATTEMPT TO INCREASE HIS GLIDE.  HE HEARD THE STALL WARNING HORN AND FELT THE STALL BUFFET, BUT DID NOT ANY MORE POWER BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THAT ONCE THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED GROUND EFFECT IT WOULD REACH THE RUNWAY.  THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, LANDING HARD SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD.  THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AND THEN STRUCK THE RAISED THRESHOLD LIP WITH ITS RIGHT MAIN GEAR.  IT SETTLED BACK ON RUNWAY 26 AND THEN SLID TO A STOP OFF THE RIGHT SIDE.  THE APPROACH WAS FLOWN OVER RISING TERRAIN WHICH CAN GIVE A PILOT THE ILLUSION THAT THE AIRCRAFT IS AT A HIGHER ALTITUDE.  IF NOT RECOGNIZED, THIS ILLUSION MAY INDUCE HIM TO MAINTAIN A HIGHER PITCH ATTITUDE RESULTING IN A LOWER AIRSPEED AND AN INCREASED RATE OF DESCENT DURING AN APPROACH.

## 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 LAX96LA192](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX96LA192), May 7, 1996: Cessna 172P (N5394K), Reno, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to obtain and maintain flying speed and a proper glide path, which resulted in an inadvertent stall during a visual approach. An increased altitude illusion created by rising…

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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