- Date
- May 7, 2007, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Chesterfield, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N51827Cessna 172R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20070507010839A
- Case key
- 66071
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
Inadequate flare during landing. The induced oscillation, not performing a go-around, the pilot's lack of experience and the failure to perform remedial action were factors.
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 student pilot stated that during a straight-in visual approach, the airplane was high, fast, and above the glide path provided by the visual approach slope indicator. The student pilot stated that he could have performed a go-around but felt pressure by air traffic control to land. He also stated that he felt pressure to comply with air traffic control instructions and to clear the airspace as quickly as possible rather than seek an alternative course of action. During the flare, the nose was lowered and the airplane began to porpoise. He stated that he didn't know what a porpoise was at the time and how to correct from it.
Factual narrative
On May 7, 2007, at 1230 central daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N51827, operated by Skyline Aeronautics LLC as a rental/instructional airplane, received substantial damage on impact with terrain during a hard landing on runway 8L (5,000 feet by 75 feet, asphalt) at Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), Chesterfield, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The student pilot was uninjured. The local flight originated from SUS.
The student pilot stated that he performed 10 touch and go landings at a nearby airport prior to returning to SUS. He was instructed and complied with air traffic control (ATC) instructions to fly a straight-in approach. He stated that the airplane was probably high and too fast, which was usually not a problem for him and elected to land anyway. He stated that he knew he was high based upon the visual approach slope indicator and could of performed a go-around but elected to continue the landing. He felt pressure to land by air traffic control to fly a straight-in approach. During the flare, he "probably dropped the yoke forward slightly," which dropped the nose resulting in the airplane bouncing. The airplane began to porpoise from which he landed after the third bounce. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he did keep the yoke back and that seemed to help. He stated that he didn't know what a porpoise was at the time and how to correct from it. He also stated that there is pressure to follow ATC directions and to clear the airspace as quickly as possible.
The airplane sustained firewall damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51827
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17281108
- Airframe hours
- 333.7
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Skyline Aeronautics LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SUS · St. Louis, IL
- Destination
- SUS
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit Of St Louis, runway 08L, 5,000 × 75 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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 40 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.56 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS
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 N51827 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.