- Date
- June 16, 1989, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Birmingham, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N48257Cessna R172E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890616024609A
- Case key
- 8042
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
Improper flare by the pilot, which resulted in a hard landing. The fact that the pilot was asked twice to expedite the landing created pressure on the pilot and was considered to be a factor.
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 reported that when she was established on final approach to land, the tower told her to maintain her speed because of two fighters behind her. She complied. She planned to land long and turn onto the nearest taxiway to the FBO. When she was over the runway and was slowing to land, the controller instructed her to expedite the landing. Subsequently, while she was attempting to comply, the aircraft landed hard, which buckled the fire wall. The pilot (of N48257) did not inform the tower controller that she had planned to land long.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48257
- Reported as
- Cessna R172E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R-172-0157
- Airframe hours
- 1,326
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 4, 1989
- Departed
- 3A1 · Cullman, AL
- Airport
- BHM · Birmingham Muni, runway 23, 10,000 × 150 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 648 total · 28 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 1 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.