- Date
- March 10, 2010, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrence, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N99HVCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20100310031629A
- Case key
- 75533
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 maintain an appropriate glide path during approach. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to continue the approach instead of going around.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings. During the first approach she felt that her approach was too high, so she pitched down slightly, leveled off, and landed on the main landing gear. After landing, the airplane porpoised twice and then landed flat and hard. The pilot taxied back to the hangar and had the airplane examined for damage. None was found, so she took off again and continued her training. Sometime after the flight the firewall was found buckled. The student pilot's recommendation for preventing the accident was to add power and go around.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was practicing touch and go landings. During the first approach she felt her approach was too high, so she pitched down slightly, leveled off, and landed on the main landing gear. After landing the airplane porpoised twice and then landed flat and hard. The pilot taxied back to the hangar and had the airplane examined for damage. None was found, so she took off again and continued her training. Sometime after the flight the firewall was found buckled. The student pilot's recommendation for preventing the accident was to add power and go around.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99HV
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10090
- Airframe hours
- 2,616
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hetrick Air Services, Inc
- Registered owner
- Hespervolita Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 3, 2010
- Departed
- LWC · Lawrence, KS
- Destination
- LWC · Lawrence, KS
- Airport
- LWC · Lawrence Municipal Airport, runway 33, 5,700 × 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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 41 in this make and model · 45 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.45 inHg
- Observed at
- LWC
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 31, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 986 KB in all.
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 N99HV · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.