- Date
- April 16, 2006, 08:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gainsville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21527Cessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Atlanta FSDO-11
- FAA report
- 20060416030999A
- Case key
- 63535
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 improper landing flare which 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 student pilot was performing his first solo flight and had completed three takeoffs, landings, and full stops on runway 29. After departing on the fourth takeoff the student pilot noticed clouds near the west, and elected to make his fourth landing final. The student pilot flew a normal left hand traffic pattern for runway 29 and upon turning final noted that " all seemed normal, and maybe a little high in ground effect." The airplane "hit" hard on the runway and then bounced two more times before settling on the ground. The student pilot noticed that the flight controls "did not seem to work right, and the airplane did not sound right". The student stated that he made the " classic mistake of stalling the airplane on landing". The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On April 16, 2006, at 0830 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N21527, registered to K & L Equipment Leasing LLC and operated by Lanier Flight Center as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, collided with the runway during landing at the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport, Gainesville, Georgia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport, Gainesville, Georgia, on April 16, 2006 at 0815.
The student pilot was performing his first solo flight and had completed three takeoffs, landings, and full stops on runway 29. After departing on the fourth takeoff the student pilot noticed clouds near the west, and elected to make his fourth landing final. The student pilot flew a normal left hand traffic pattern for runway 29 and upon turning final noted that " all seemed normal, and maybe a little high in ground effect." The airplane "hit" hard on the runway and then bounced two more times before settling on the ground. The student pilot noticed that the flight controls "did not seem to work right, and the airplane did not sound right". The student stated that he made the " classic mistake of stalling the airplane on landing". The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21527
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S
- Airframe hours
- 1,080
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wheelers R Flying, doing business as Lanier Flight Center
- Registered owner
- K & L Equipment Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 2006
- Departed
- KGVL · Gainsville, GA
- Destination
- KGVL · Gainsville, GA
- Airport
- KGVL · Gainesville/Lee Gilmer Memoria, runway 29, 4,001 × 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 29 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KGVL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.