- Date
- May 23, 2006, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Indianapolis, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N409TACessna 172SP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20060523011089A
- Case key
- 63805
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 during landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing. The airplane was configured with full flaps and 80 knots on final. The pilot reported that the airplane was about 20 - 25 feet above the runway as it was "floating down the runway" and bleeding off airspeed. He reported, "Suddenly it seemed that the plane just dropped." The pilot reported the airplane ballooned so he added full throttle and aborted the landing. He returned to the departure airport and landed without incident. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the stall warning system operated. An avionics technician inspected the airspeed indicator and it indicated the correct airspeeds. The post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
Factual narrative
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing. The airplane was configured with full flaps and 80 knots on final. The pilot reported that the airplane was about 20 - 25 feet above the runway as it was "floating down the runway" and bleeding off airspeed. He reported, "Suddenly it seemed that the plane just dropped." The pilot reported the airplane ballooned so he added full throttle and aborted the landing. He returned to the departure airport and landed without incident. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the stall warning system operated. An avionics technician inspected the airspeed indicator and it indicated the correct airspeeds. The post accident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies that could be associated with a pre-impact condition.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N409TA
- Reported as
- Cessna 172SP
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9040
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Indianapolis Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- UMP · Indianapolis, IN
- Destination
- EYE · Indianapolis, IN
- Airport
- EYE · Eagle Creek Airport, runway 03
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 223 total · 172 in this make and model · 223 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.