20160916018709A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 172S · Tooele, UT · September 16, 2016

Date
September 16, 2016 · 16:35 local
Place
Tooele, UT
Airport
Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
QN7S
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N461SP
NTSB investigation
NTSBGAA16CA523
Reported as
Cessna 172S
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
40 total40 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

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.

The student was practicing landings as a part of a part 141 solo flight lesson. She had completed two touch-and-go landings prior the accident. The student stated that the landing had felt normal, however she may have been slightly nose down, but the landing resulted in a hard landing that caused the aircraft to bounce multiple times. She stated that after the first bounce the ?yoke was locked in the aft position, and I could not pull it any further back to me.? The aircraft bounced 3-4 more times. She realized that her rudder pedals also were not working. She used breaks to steer on the ground once she and had stopped bouncing. She was able to get the aircraft off the runway and onto a taxi way where she stopped.

The damage that is visible without a tear down is: propeller curling at both ends. Lower firewall bent, buckled and torn. Firewall reinforcement broken. Nose strut requires tear down and inspection. Nose wheel assembly requires tear down and inspection. All rivets for nose strut are broken. Lower mount for nose strut are bent. Fuel strainer brackets are bent. Angels behind firewall (the four visible ones) are broken or bent. Tunnel channel bent (which could be the source of the yoke not being able to move). Cowl mounts on right side are broken. Lower skin aft of the firewall buckled and creased. Interior floor boards (both sides) buckled and creased. Interior forward reinforcement brackets from firewall aft to seat rails creased and buckled. Yoke disconnected or broken at lower attach point. Rudder bearing cap on pilot side inboard appears broken. Rudder springs broken or disconnected at tunnel. Center pedestal bent. Aft fuselage above baggage door has dent and small crease. Aft pilot window retainer is dented.

There has been extensive damage to the aircraft. The flight controls are believed to be bound by the bent tunnel channel. They do not appear to be severed.

The pilot was not injured.

As the FAA filed it

THE STUDENT WAS PRACTICING LANDINGS AS A PART OF A PART 141 SOLO FLIGHT LESSON. SHE HAD COMPLETED TWO TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS PRIOR THE ACCIDENT. THE STUDENT STATED THAT THE LANDING HAD FELT NORMAL, HOWEVER SHE MAY HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN, BUT THE LANDING RESULTED IN A HARD LANDING THAT CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BOUNCE MULTIPLE TIMES. SHE STATED THAT AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE THE ?YOKE WAS LOCKED IN THE AFT POSITION, AND I COULD NOT PULL IT ANY FURTHER BACK TO ME.? THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED 3-4 MORE TIMES. SHE REALIZED THAT HER RUDDER PEDALS ALSO WERE NOT WORKING. SHE USED BREAKS TO STEER ON THE GROUND ONCE SHE AND HAD STOPPED BOUNCING. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND ONTO A TAXI WAY WHERE SHE STOPPED.

THE DAMAGE THAT IS VISIBLE WITHOUT A TEAR DOWN IS: PROPELLER CURLING AT BOTH ENDS. LOWER FIREWALL BENT, BUCKLED AND TORN. FIREWALL REINFORCEMENT BROKEN. NOSE STRUT REQUIRES TEAR DOWN AND INSPECTION. NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY REQUIRES TEAR DOWN AND INSPECTION. ALL RIVETS FOR NOSE STRUT ARE BROKEN. LOWER MOUNT FOR NOSE STRUT ARE BENT. FUEL STRAINER BRACKETS ARE BENT. ANGELS BEHIND FIREWALL (THE FOUR VISIBLE ONES) ARE BROKEN OR BENT. TUNNEL CHANNEL BENT (WHICH COULD BE THE SOURCE OF THE YOKE NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE). COWL MOUNTS ON RIGHT SIDE ARE BROKEN. LOWER SKIN AFT OF THE FIREWALL BUCKLED AND CREASED. INTERIOR FLOOR BOARDS (BOTH SIDES) BUCKLED AND CREASED. INTERIOR FORWARD REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS FROM FIREWALL AFT TO SEAT RAILS CREASED AND BUCKLED. YOKE DISCONNECTED OR BROKEN AT LOWER ATTACH POINT. RUDDER BEARING CAP ON PILOT SIDE INBOARD APPEARS BROKEN. RUDDER SPRINGS BROKEN OR DISCONNECTED AT TUNNEL. CENTER PEDESTAL BENT. AFT FUSELAGE ABOVE BAGGAGE DOOR HAS DENT AND SMALL CREASE. AFT PILOT WINDOW RETAINER IS DENTED.

THERE HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT CONTROLS ARE BELIEVED TO BE BOUND BY THE BENT TUNNEL CHANNEL. THEY DO NOT APPEAR TO BE SEVERED.

THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

NTSB investigation

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