OpenAirDocs.org

20180311002249A

Accident · Substantial damage
Open the Markdown

FAA accident report · Cessna 172R · Bedford, MA · March 11, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
March 11, 2018 · 12:30 local
Place
Bedford, MA
Airport
Laurence G Hanscom Airfield
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N249FS
NTSB investigation
NTSBGAA18CA163
Reported as
Cessna 172R
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-360-L2A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
250 total247 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
N249FSRegistered now · Cessna 172RS/N 17281249 · Built 2005Airframe modelCessna 172REngine modelLycoming IO-360-L2AReciprocating

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.

Pilot's description of sequence of events during landing and touchdown:

Inbound for landing on RY29 at kbed ~1230 EDT after ~1 hour 40 min originating from kbed. On short final, experienced turbulence and wind shear down from 300 feet AGL. 20 deg flaps. Approach speed 65 knots. (From memory), the wind check when I was on short final to RY29 (~1636Z) was 340(magnetic) 6 gusting 18. Weather was very good VMC. Crossed threshold and touched down 100 - 150 feet after the numbers.

Pilot's statement provided post accident investigation:

It felt like I landed heavily on the nose wheel. I believe that the combination of the turbulence just before touch down and not enough flare contributed to the hard landing on the nosewheel.

Note: upon exiting runway the aircraft taxied to west ramp, the pilot upon postflight after mooring aircraft on tiedown spot, did not notice aircraft damage.

Aircraft damage was reported by the rental agency at 15:21 as a prop-strike. Subsequent inspection the following day revealed additional damage to the aircraft which resulted in the continued investigation and the upgrading of the reported prop-strike occurrence to an accident based on the following:

The aircraft propeller showed evidence of contacting the runway surface under power, albeit briefly as damage to the tip of one blade was confined to approximately 2MM of the tip and curling of the opposite blade of approximately 30MM.

The nose landing gear was compressed and appeared to be slightly off-center to the left approximately 2 degrees from center. The firewall at the attachment point for the nose gear support fitting was noted to be forced upward and reward by evidence of buckling on the left, right and upper surfaces adjacent to support fitting. There were several sheared rivets associated with the buckled firewall. The lower surface of the fuselage directly aft of the nose gear attachment showed signs of buckling between the longerons and frames aft approximately 1METER to the junction of the wing lift strut attach points. The aircraft skin showed separation between overlapping surfaces and evidence of cracking on the left side.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT'S DESCRIPTION OF SEQUENCE OF EVENTS DURING LANDING AND TOUCHDOWN:

INBOUND FOR LANDING ON RY29 AT KBED ~1230 EDT AFTER ~1 HOUR 40 MIN ORIGINATING FROM KBED. ON SHORT FINAL, EXPERIENCED TURBULENCE AND WIND SHEAR DOWN FROM 300 FEET AGL. 20 DEG FLAPS. APPROACH SPEED 65 KNOTS. (FROM MEMORY), THE WIND CHECK WHEN I WAS ON SHORT FINAL TO RY29 (~1636Z) WAS 340(MAGNETIC) 6 GUSTING 18. WEATHER WAS VERY GOOD VMC. CROSSED THRESHOLD AND TOUCHED DOWN 100 - 150 FEET AFTER THE NUMBERS.

PILOT'S STATEMENT PROVIDED POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION:

IT FELT LIKE I LANDED HEAVILY ON THE NOSE WHEEL. I BELIEVE THAT THE COMBINATION OF THE TURBULENCE JUST BEFORE TOUCH DOWN AND NOT ENOUGH FLARE CONTRIBUTED TO THE HARD LANDING ON THE NOSEWHEEL.

NOTE: UPON EXITING RUNWAY THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED TO WEST RAMP, THE PILOT UPON POSTFLIGHT AFTER MOORING AIRCRAFT ON TIEDOWN SPOT, DID NOT NOTICE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE.

AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED BY THE RENTAL AGENCY AT 15:21 AS A PROP-STRIKE. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION THE FOLLOWING DAY REVEALED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN THE CONTINUED INVESTIGATION AND THE UPGRADING OF THE REPORTED PROP-STRIKE OCCURRENCE TO AN ACCIDENT BASED ON THE FOLLOWING:

THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER SHOWED EVIDENCE OF CONTACTING THE RUNWAY SURFACE UNDER POWER, ALBEIT BRIEFLY AS DAMAGE TO THE TIP OF ONE BLADE WAS CONFINED TO APPROXIMATELY 2MM OF THE TIP AND CURLING OF THE OPPOSITE BLADE OF APPROXIMATELY 30MM.

THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS COMPRESSED AND APPEARED TO BE SLIGHTLY OFF-CENTER TO THE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 2 DEGREES FROM CENTER. THE FIREWALL AT THE ATTACHMENT POINT FOR THE NOSE GEAR SUPPORT FITTING WAS NOTED TO BE FORCED UPWARD AND REWARD BY EVIDENCE OF BUCKLING ON THE LEFT, RIGHT AND UPPER SURFACES ADJACENT TO SUPPORT FITTING. THERE WERE SEVERAL SHEARED RIVETS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BUCKLED FIREWALL. THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE FUSELAGE DIRECTLY AFT OF THE NOSE GEAR ATTACHMENT SHOWED SIGNS OF BUCKLING BETWEEN THE LONGERONS AND FRAMES AFT APPROXIMATELY 1METER TO THE JUNCTION OF THE WING LIFT STRUT ATTACH POINTS. THE AIRCRAFT SKIN SHOWED SEPARATION BETWEEN OVERLAPPING SURFACES AND EVIDENCE OF CRACKING ON THE LEFT SIDE.

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 GAA18CA163Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportBedford, MAThe pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in substantial damage.Mar 11, 2018 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N249FS · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20070813018979ALevel Off Touchdown · Fort Collins/L, CO(-23) On August 13, 2007 at approximately 0945 MDT, N249FS, a Cessna model 172R experienced a hard landing on the nose wheel at Loveland ft. Collins airport (fln), Loveland Colorado. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The student pilot was not…Aug 13, 2007 · Substantial damage