CHI03LA229

The airplane received substantial damage during a bounced landing on runway 27. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident with wind from 150 degrees at 6 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been avoided by performing a go-around.

On July 25, 2003, at 1300 central standard time, a Cessna 172P, N99040, operated by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), received substantial damage during a bounced landing on runway 27 (5,000 feet by 75 feet asphalt) at Huntingburg Airport (HNB), Huntingburg, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was not operating on a flight plan. The private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Paoli, Indiana, at 1230, and was en route to HNB.

The pilot reported she realized she was too high while on final, and added full flaps. The pilot stated the airplane touched down, bounced, and the propeller struck the pavement. The airplane bounced again before coming to a stop.

The pilot stated she could have avoided the accident by performing a go-around.

The pilot reported no mechanical functions or defects during the accident flight.

The HNB Automated Surface Observing System, recorded at 1255, wind 150 degrees at 6 knots.

The pilot, age 72, was a member of the CAP, Indiana Wing and held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating issued on May 21, 1981. The pilot was issued an instrument airplane rating on November 22, 1994. The pilot accumulated a total flight time of 1,079.8 hours, of which 229.9 hours were in the accident airplane make and model and 28.2 hours were in the last 90 days.

On July 25, 1990, the pilot was involved in an incident in which she lost directional control during takeoff of a Cessna 172, N6621B, at Falls of Rough, Kentucky. The nose gear then collapsed when the airplane ran off the runway. The yoke lock was noted not to have been removed.

On July 12, 1995, the pilot became a member of the CAP, Indiana Wing. The CAP does not conduct a pilot background check on its pilot applicants. Applicants are asked on their initial application forms whether they have been involved in any incident/accidents. The pilot's application was not available for review since applications were reported to be retained by the CAP for four years.

CAP pilot applicants were never queried about previous incidents/accidents on their applications. The accident pilot's application was not available for review since CAP applications were reported retained by the CAP for four years.

The pilot's CAP mission qualifications at the time of the accident were: search and rescue/disaster relief (SAR/DR), scanner, observer, and CAP instrument pilot. The SAR/DR crew positions are: pilot, observer (coordinates mission related activities for aircrew), and scanner (scans the ground visually or with imaging equipment from the rear seat).

On the day of and before the accident, the pilot received a recurrency check, instrument flight check, and a Federal Aviation Administration biennial/annual flight review, by a CAP member. The CAP Pilot Flight Evaluation of the pilot during these checks were listed as satisfactory for all elements.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the CAP were parties to the investigation.