What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Wednesday, September 16, 2015, at 1800 UTC (1300 local), a Cessna CE-172-N, owned and operated by a 14 CFR part 141 pilot school operating out of the newton city county airport (ewk), newton, Kansas, was involved in an aircraft accident resulting from a hard landing. The airman, holder of a private pilot certificate, enrolled in a 141 commercial pilot program, was conducting a landing at the Herington regional airport (khru), Herington, Kansas. The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of the hard landing and subsequent porpoise. The airman, the sole occupant was not injured.
According to the airman?s verbal and written statements, he departed kewk with the intent to conduct a solo cross country flight. Kewk?s automated weather observation system (AWOS), at the time of departure, reported clear skies and southerly winds at 18 knots gusting to 24 knots (above the limitations listed in the 141 school?s safety policies and procedures manual). The airman, unsure of the winds, decided to stay at kewk for a practice traffic pattern. The takeoff, traffic pattern, and landing at kewk were completed without incident. The decision was made to continue the cross country flight.
The first stop in the cross country was lawrence municipal airport, lawrence Kansas (klwc). The airman completed a takeoff and landing at klwc and then proceeded to ottawa municipal airport, ottawa Kansas (kowi). While en-route to kowi, the airman noticed the aircraft?s ground speed was significantly slower than was previously planned. In an attempt to return the aircraft back to kewk on time for the next flight a decision was made to divert to kewk . The aircraft?s direct flight path back to kewk would take the aircraft over Herington regional airport, Herington Kansas (khru). The airman familiar with this town, but had never landed at the airport, made the decision to do a stop and go at khru en-route back to kewk.
The airman tuned in abilene?s AWOS in an attempt to get wind information due to the fact khru does not have weather reporting services. Abilene?s winds were 160 at 17 gusting to 24. Only twenty degrees of flaps were used due to the gusty winds. The aircraft landed on the main wheels first and then the aircraft ballooned back up in the air. Never having experienced this before the airman shoved the control yoke forward and the aircraft?s nose wheel slammed on the runway; the aircraft continued to porpoise 5 more times.
The airman taxied clear of the runway, and with the engine running, opened the door and looked outside. Unable to notice any damage the airman decided to taxi out for the return trip back to kewk. While taxiing out the airman noticed the flight controls were not functioning properly and he heard a loud knocking noise. The airman taxied back to the ramp area and contacted the 14 CFR part 141 pilot school for assistance.
As the FAA filed it
ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, AT 1800 UTC (1300 LOCAL), A CESSNA CE-172-N, OWNED AND OPERATED BY A 14 CFR PART 141 PILOT SCHOOL OPERATING OUT OF THE NEWTON CITY COUNTY AIRPORT (EWK), NEWTON, KANSAS, WAS INVOLVED IN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT RESULTING FROM A HARD LANDING. THE AIRMAN, HOLDER OF A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, ENROLLED IN A 141 COMMERCIAL PILOT PROGRAM, WAS CONDUCTING A LANDING AT THE HERINGTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (KHRU), HERINGTON, KANSAS. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE HARD LANDING AND SUBSEQUENT PORPOISE. THE AIRMAN, THE SOLE OCCUPANT WAS NOT INJURED.
ACCORDING TO THE AIRMAN?S VERBAL AND WRITTEN STATEMENTS, HE DEPARTED KEWK WITH THE INTENT TO CONDUCT A SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. KEWK?S AUTOMATED WEATHER OBSERVATION SYSTEM (AWOS), AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE, REPORTED CLEAR SKIES AND SOUTHERLY WINDS AT 18 KNOTS GUSTING TO 24 KNOTS (ABOVE THE LIMITATIONS LISTED IN THE 141 SCHOOL?S SAFETY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL). THE AIRMAN, UNSURE OF THE WINDS, DECIDED TO STAY AT KEWK FOR A PRACTICE TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE TAKEOFF, TRAFFIC PATTERN, AND LANDING AT KEWK WERE COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO CONTINUE THE CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT.
THE FIRST STOP IN THE CROSS COUNTRY WAS LAWRENCE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, LAWRENCE KANSAS (KLWC). THE AIRMAN COMPLETED A TAKEOFF AND LANDING AT KLWC AND THEN PROCEEDED TO OTTAWA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, OTTAWA KANSAS (KOWI). WHILE EN-ROUTE TO KOWI, THE AIRMAN NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT?S GROUND SPEED WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY PLANNED. IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO KEWK ON TIME FOR THE NEXT FLIGHT A DECISION WAS MADE TO DIVERT TO KEWK . THE AIRCRAFT?S DIRECT FLIGHT PATH BACK TO KEWK WOULD TAKE THE AIRCRAFT OVER HERINGTON REGIONAL AIRPORT, HERINGTON KANSAS (KHRU). THE AIRMAN FAMILIAR WITH THIS TOWN, BUT HAD NEVER LANDED AT THE AIRPORT, MADE THE DECISION TO DO A STOP AND GO AT KHRU EN-ROUTE BACK TO KEWK.
THE AIRMAN TUNED IN ABILENE?S AWOS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET WIND INFORMATION DUE TO THE FACT KHRU DOES NOT HAVE WEATHER REPORTING SERVICES. ABILENE?S WINDS WERE 160 AT 17 GUSTING TO 24. ONLY TWENTY DEGREES OF FLAPS WERE USED DUE TO THE GUSTY WINDS. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE MAIN WHEELS FIRST AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT BALLOONED BACK UP IN THE AIR. NEVER HAVING EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE THE AIRMAN SHOVED THE CONTROL YOKE FORWARD AND THE AIRCRAFT?S NOSE WHEEL SLAMMED ON THE RUNWAY; THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO PORPOISE 5 MORE TIMES.
THE AIRMAN TAXIED CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY, AND WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, OPENED THE DOOR AND LOOKED OUTSIDE. UNABLE TO NOTICE ANY DAMAGE THE AIRMAN DECIDED TO TAXI OUT FOR THE RETURN TRIP BACK TO KEWK. WHILE TAXIING OUT THE AIRMAN NOTICED THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND HE HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. THE AIRMAN TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP AREA AND CONTACTED THE 14 CFR PART 141 PILOT SCHOOL FOR ASSISTANCE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N909HC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.