- Date
- August 9, 2002, 10:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Enterprise, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N73461Cessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Birmingham FSDO-09
- FAA report
- 20020809017179A
- Case key
- 55433
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 pilot's delayed flare on landing that resulted in a hard landing.
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 pilot stated when he turned final for landing the VASI indicated that he was high. He slowed the airplane down, reacquired the VASI, and lowered the flaps to the full down position about 100 feet from the landing threshold. The airspeed indicated 60 knots and the airplane was about 30 feet high above the landing threshold with a high sink rate. He started his round out but his flare was late. The airplane collided with the runway, bounced about 6 feet into the air, pitched up, and to the left. He added power, the airplane collided with the runway hard, bounced, collided with the runway in a nose-down attitude on the nose gear and left main landing gear. Examination of the airplane after engine shutdown revealed the firewall was buckled.
Factual narrative
On August 9, 2002, at 1015 central daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N73461, registered to Skyhawk Services Inc., operated by MC Aviation as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, landed hard on runway 05 at the Enterprise Municipal Airport, Enterprise, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Mobile, Alabama, at 0825.
The pilot stated he was landing to runway 05. He turned on final and the Visual Approach Slope Indicator ( VASI) indicated that the airplane was high on the glide slope. He slowed the airplane to 65 knots to reacquire the VASI. The flaps were lowered to 30-degrees about 300 feet from the landing threshold, and were lowered to the full down position about 100 feet from the threshold. The airspeed was 60 knots and he was 30 feet high over the threshold with a high sink rate. He started to round out but his flare was late. The airplane bounced about 6 feet in the air, pitched up, and to the left. He added power, the airplane collided with the runway hard, bounced, and collided with the runway in a nose-down attitude on the nose gear and left main landing gear. The airplane bounced again and started to rollout on the runway. He completed the after landing checklist, taxied to the ramp, and shut the engine down. Upon exiting the airplane, he noticed that both propeller blades tips were curled.
The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall was buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73461
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17267478
- Airframe hours
- 4,266
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320_E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- MC Aviation
- Registered owner
- Skyhawk Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2001 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- MOB · Mobile, AL
- Destination
- EDN · Enterprise, AL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- EDN · Enterprise Municipal, runway 05, 5,100 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 72 total · 5 in this make and model · 25 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- OZR, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.