- Date
- December 21, 2012, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Eveleth, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9660HCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 3, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20121221027529A
- Case key
- 85889
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 landing flare, which resulted in a hard nosewheel landing.
Findings · 3
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 planned to practice a takeoff and landing before departing on a short solo flight. The student pilot reported that the approach was normal, but during the landing, the airplane’s nosewheel touched the runway first. The airplane bounced a couple times before the student pilot brought the airplane to a stop. Postflight examination of the airplane revealed that the nosewheel landing gear was compressed, the propeller bent, and the firewall had sustained substantial damage.
Factual narrative
The student pilot planned on practicing a takeoff and landing, before departing on a short solo flight. The student pilot reported that the approach was normal, but during the landing, the airplane’s nosewheel touched the runway first. The airplane bounced a couple times before the student pilot brought the airplane to a stop. Post flight examination of the airplane revealed that the nosewheel landing gear was compressed, the propeller bent, and the firewall had sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9660H
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266297
- Airframe hours
- 8,892
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Taconite Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Taconite Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 6, 2012
- Departed
- KEVM · Eveleth, MN
- Destination
- KEVM · Eveleth, MN
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KEVM · Eveleth-Virginia Muncipal, runway 32, 2,505 × 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 21 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 3 °F, dew point -2 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KEVM
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 31, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 599 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.