- Date
- May 13, 2013, 19:00 local (May 14, 2013, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ankeny, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N947SPCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-Des Moines FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130513008919A
- Case key
- 86956
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
During the second landing of the student pilot’s first solo flight, the airplane landed flat and bounced three to four times. The student pilot taxied off the runway and determined that the airplane appeared to be operating properly. The student pilot flew one more takeoff and landing which were uneventful. The postflight inspection of the airplane revealed that one propeller blade tip was bent aft and the firewall was buckled. The student pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.
Factual narrative
During the second landing of the student pilot’s first solo flight, the airplane landed flat and bounced three to four times. The student pilot taxied off the runway and determined that the airplane appeared to be operating properly. The student pilot flew one more takeoff and landing which were uneventful. The postflight inspection of the airplane revealed that one propeller blade tip was bent aft and the firewall was buckled. The student pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N947SP
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8142
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Exec 1 Aviation
- Registered owner
- Central Iowa Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- IKV · Ankeny, IA
- Destination
- IKV · Ankeny, IA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- IKV · Ankeny Regional Airport, runway 18, 5,500 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 18
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 185° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.64 inHg
- Observed at
- IKV
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 30, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 817 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 N947SP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.