- Date
- August 6, 2023, 22:15 local (Aug 7, 2023, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Waco, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6319GCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230806010939A
- Case key
- 192831
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 solo student pilot’s improper descent path which resulted in a hard landing on the nose wheel and subsequent bounced landing.
Findings · 4
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 solo student pilot reported he was anxious on the flight controls in preparation for night landing. During the approach, he felt the airplane was higher above the runway than his actual altitude, and he descended the airplane in a nose low attitude which caused a hard landing on the nose wheel. The student pilot then pulled back on the control yoke, and subsequently the airplane porpoised and settled on to the runway surface. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The student pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6319G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10781
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 7,270
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 21, 2023
- Departed
- HYI · San Marcos, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ACT · Waco Rgnl, runway 19, 7,107 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 211 total · 75 in this make and model · 155 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Observed at
- KACT
- METAR
- KACT 070351Z 14009KT 10SM CLR 33/17 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP119 T03330172
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.