- Date
- June 14, 1992, 15:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Auburn, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N97883Cessna 172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920614022779A
- Case key
- 8618
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, and his improper recovery from a bounced 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 reported that, after takeoff, he remained in the traffic pattern to conduct touch and go landings. A final approach was flown at 65 KTS with full flaps extended. He believed he was holding full up elevator control pressure when the airplane landed hard. The aircraft bounced & porpoised over onto the nose landing gear. The pilot said his hand was still on the throttle & he inadvertently applied power. The airplane became airborne again, & he noted a loss of elevator control. Elevator trim was used to fly the airplane around the traffic pattern for a final landing. Bent structure from the collapsed nose landing gear impinged on the cockpit control column.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N97883
- Reported as
- Cessna 172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276237
- Airframe hours
- 5,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Auburn University
- Registered owner
- Auburn University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 21, 1992 · 41 hours before
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- AUO · Auburn-Opelika, runway 18, 3,933 × 75 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 6 in this make and model · 42 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AUO, 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.
Other investigations on N97883 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.