- Date
- March 15, 2012, 18:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- New Orleans, LA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N30770Cessna 177B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- FAA report
- 20120315003719A
- Case key
- 83177
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 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 pilot reported that he was practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. On the second landing, the airplane drifted to the left, so he applied right rudder to correct for the drift. He stated that when he reduced the power to land, the nose of the airplane dropped, and the airplane landed hard and porpoised. The pilot regained control of the airplane and landed on the remaining runway. A postaccident examination revealed that the nose gear was pushed up, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported there were no failures or malfunctions of the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported he applied right rudder to correct for the airplane drifting to the left during his second touch and go landing. He stated that when he reduced the power to land, the nose of the airplane dropped, contacting the runway, and the airplane porpoised. The pilot regained control of the airplane and landed on the remaining runway. A postaccident examination revealed that the nose gear was pushed up resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported there were no failures/malfunction of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30770
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17701455
- Airframe hours
- 3,514
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Morrison Bryant B
- Registered owner
- Morrison Bryant B
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 27, 2012 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- NEW · New Orleans, LA
- Destination
- NEW · New Orleans, LA
- Airport
- NEW · Lakefront Airport, runway 18, 6,800 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,931 total · 231 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- NEW
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 27, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 576 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.