- Date
- August 25, 2007, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Manassas, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N733BSCessna C172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Washington/Dulles FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070825829909A
- Case key
- 66790
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 failure to correct for a pilot-induced oscillation/porpoise, during flare/touchdown, 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
According to the student pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was training under the United Stated Marine Corps Introductory Flight Screening Program, prior to attending the Naval Flight School at Pensacola, Florida. The student pilot reported to the CFI that he was making his third solo flight, in the traffic pattern and that the airplane bounced several times while he was attempting to land and that he had landed hard on the nose wheel, busting the tire. Inspection of the airplane revealed the tire had burst, the nose gear wheel was broken and the propeller had struck the runway. A Chief CFI at another flight school on the field advised that he had observed the incident. He stated that the student porpoised several times, making no apparent attempt to recover. The student pilot left the airport and returned to his barracks at Quantico. He met with the administrators of the Introductory Flight Screening program and advised them that he had been nervous during all flights and had decided flying was not for him. He dropped himself from the program. On October 2, 2007, further inspection of the airplane revealed that there was damage to the airplane's firewall.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was training under the United Stated Marine Corps Introductory Flight Screening Program, prior to attending the Naval Flight School at Pensacola, Florida. The student pilot reported to the CFI that he was making his third solo flight, in the traffic pattern and that the airplane bounced several times while he was attempting to land and that he had landed hard on the nose wheel, busting the tire.
Inspection of the airplane revealed the tire had burst, the nose gear wheel was broken and the propeller had struck the runway. A Chief CFI at another flight school on the field advised that he had observed the incident. He stated that the student porpoised several times, making no apparent attempt to recover.
The student pilot left the airport and returned to his barracks at Quantico. He met with the administrators of the Introductory Flight Screening program and advised them that he had been nervous during all flights and had decided flying was not for him. He dropped himself from the program. On October 2, 2007, further inspection of the airplane revealed that there was damage to the airplane's firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N733BS
- Reported as
- Cessna C172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268173
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Manassas Aviation Center, Inc
- Registered owner
- Flowmeter Services, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Destination
- HEF · Manassas, VA
- Airport
- HEF · Manassas Regional, runway 16R, 3,702 × 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KIAD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N733BS · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.