- Date
- September 5, 2011, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bemidji, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N548NDCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Fargo FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110905019639A
- Case key
- 81722
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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 reported that the airplane ballooned during the flare and then dropped hard onto the runway, resulting in a hard landing. The airplane bounced three times before the student pilot initiated a go-around and landed uneventfully. The postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that the airplane did not have a mechanical or system failure prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that the airplane ballooned during the flare and then dropped hard onto the runway resulting in a hard landing. The airplane bounced three times before the student pilot initiated a go-around. The airplane was landed uneventfully. The postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that the airplane did not have a mechanical or system failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N548ND
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S11050
- Airframe hours
- 1,095
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- University Of North Dakota
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 19, 2011
- Departed
- GFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Destination
- BJI · Bemidji, MN
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BJI · Bemidji Regional Airport, runway 13, 7,004 × 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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 47 total · 47 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- BJI
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 30, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB 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 N548ND · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.