- Date
- February 21, 2004, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lutz, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N612CBCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA, Tampa FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040221013709A
- Case key
- 58831
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot's misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot reported he was practicing landings. During the landing flare on the accident landing, the airplane ballooned and then landed hard, collapsing the nose landing gear and incurring structural damage to the fuselage firewall bulkhead. The student pilot said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On February 21, 2004, about 1330 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P airplane, N612CB, sustained substantial damage following a hard landing and nose landing gear collapse at the North Tampa Aero Park, Lutz, Florida. The solo student pilot was not injured. The Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was operated by Helicopter Structural and Maintenance, Inc., Lutz, in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed for the local flight.
During a telephone conversation with an NTSB investigator on March 15, the student pilot related he was landing on runway 32 with a slight quartering headwind. He said during the landing flare the airplane ballooned and landed hard, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear and structural damage to the firewall. The student pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N612CB
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275186
- Airframe hours
- 4,239
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Helicopter Structural Maint. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 23, 2004 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- Lutz, FL
- Destination
- X39
- Airport
- X39 · Tampa North Aero Park, runway 32, 3,541 × 50 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 9 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.