# NTSB ANC04LA028: Cessna 172P, N124ER, Clewiston, FL, February 19, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 19, 2004, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: Clewiston, FL - Coordinates: 26.593055, -80.084999 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.5931&lon=-80.0850&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 1, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA, Miami FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 58830 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC04LA028 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58830/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC04LA028 ## Probable cause The student pilot's misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing, a collapse of the nose wheel landing gear, and the airplane nosing over when it encountered a ditch. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - Nose gear collapsed, landing - flare/touchdown - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - ditch - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The student pilot was on his first solo cross country flight. He reported that during the landing flare at his destination airport, he thought he was too high, and pushed the control wheel forward to compensate. The airplane's nose wheel subsequently contacted the runway hard, and the nose wheel landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid off the runway, encountered a ditch, and nosed over. The student pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On February 19, 2004, about 1400 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N124ER, sustained substantial damage following a hard landing and nose landing gear collapse at the Airglades Airpark, Clewiston, Florida. The solo student pilot was not injured. The Title 14, CFR Part 91 instructional cross country flight departed the Palm Beach County Park Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida, about 1330, en route to the Airglades Airpark. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. During a telephone conversation with an NTSB investigator on February 19, an FAA inspector from the Miami Flight Standards District Office who spoke with the pilot shortly after the accident, said the student pilot related he was on his first solo cross country flight, and that the accident occurred while landing on runway 13 at the Airglades Airpark. According to the inspector, the pilot stated that he pushed the nose down during the landing flare because he thought he was too high. The airplane landed hard on the nose wheel, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear. The airplane subsequently slid off the runway, encountered a ditch, and nosed over. The airplane received structural damage to the firewall, fuselage, and wings. The inspector said the student pilot told him there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N124ER](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N124ER), registered now, S/N 17276531, built 1986 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172P - Registry model: [Cessna 172P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172p) (registry code 2072436) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17276531 - Airframe hours: 8356 - Engines: Lycoming O-320D2J 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: German J. Mejia - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, February 9, 2004 - Departed: LNA, WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Destination: 21S, Clewiston, FL - Airport: X53, Clewiston, runway 13, 5,950 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 46; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 40 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040219013669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040219013669A), Feb 19, 2004: Cessna 172P, Clewiston, FL, Substantial damage. (-23) Investigation reveals that the solo student pilot lost control over the aircraft during landing. The accident took place at Airglades hendry county… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.