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19980920032089A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 172F · Long Beach, CA · September 20, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 20, 1998 · 21:30 local
Place
Long Beach, CA
Airport
Long Beach - Daugherty Field
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8761U
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX98LA301
Reported as
Cessna 172F
Reported engine
Continental O300D
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
887 total95 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days
N8761URegistered now · Cessna 172FS/N 17252665 · Built 1965Airframe modelCessna 172FEngine modelContinental 0-300 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

After three practice night takeoffs and landings at kful, the pilot took one passenger to ktoa where he picked up another passenger and proceeded to klgb. During the landing on runway 25L at klgb, he flared hight and ballooned. He added power to control his sink rate, then reduced power again. The airplane stalled and banked left. The propeller, nosegear, left gear, and left wingtip struck the ground. The acft bounced and the right wingtip also struck the ground. (From .4) the pilot entered the landing pattern for runway 25L and everything was normal until he flared for touchdown. He believed he had flared high and was ballooning so he added power to help control the descent rate. Immediately prior to what he believed would be touchdown, he reduced power. The nose dropped and the propeller, nose gear, left main landing gear, and left wing tip struck the pavement almost simultaneously. The aircraft bounced and struck the ground with the right wing tip before coming to rest on the runway.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER THREE PRACTICE NIGHT TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS AT KFUL, THE PILOT TOOK ONE PASSENGER TO KTOA WHERE HE PICKED UP ANOTHER PASSENGER AND PROCEEDED TO KLGB. DURING THE LANDING ON RUNWAY 25L AT KLGB, HE FLARED HIGHT AND BALLOONED. HE ADDED POWER TO CONTROL HIS SINK RATE, THEN REDUCED POWER AGAIN. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND BANKED LEFT. THE PROPELLER, NOSEGEAR, LEFT GEAR, AND LEFT WINGTIP STRUCK THE GROUND. THE ACFT BOUNCED AND THE RIGHT WINGTIP ALSO STRUCK THE GROUND. (FROM .4) THE PILOT ENTERED THE LANDING PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 25L AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UNTIL HE FLARED FOR TOUCHDOWN. HE BELIEVED HE HAD FLARED HIGH AND WAS BALLOONING SO HE ADDED POWER TO HELP CONTROL THE DESCENT RATE. IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO WHAT HE BELIEVED WOULD BE TOUCHDOWN, HE REDUCED POWER. THE NOSE DROPPED AND THE PROPELLER, NOSE GEAR, LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, AND LEFT WING TIP STRUCK THE PAVEMENT ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AND STRUCK THE GROUND WITH THE RIGHT WING TIP BEFORE COMING TO REST ON THE RUNWAY.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX98LA301Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportLong Beach, CAThe pilot's misjudging the flare point and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard landing. A contributing factor was the dark night conditions.Sep 21, 1998 · Substantial damage