- Date
- February 24, 1996, 10:22 local (16:22 UTC)
- Place
- West Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N99341Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960224003579A
- Case key
- 10200
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 misjudging the flare. A factor was the gusts.
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 was conducting a full stop landing following a local solo flight. This was his first solo flight out of the airport traffic pattern. The pilot stated that he lost control of the airplane during the flare and the airplane landed hard on the nose landing gear.
Factual narrative
On February 24, 1996, at 1022 central standard time, a Cessna 172P, registered to A T E of Florida, Inc., and piloted by a student pilot, received substantial damage while landing on runway 28 (4,751' x 75' dry asphalt) at DuPage Airport, West Chicago, Illinois. The pilot reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file for the local flight. The flight departed at 1000.
The Federal Aviation Administration inspector interviewed the pilot who stated he lost control of the airplane during the flare and landed hard on the nose landing gear. This was his first solo flight outside the airport traffic pattern in this airplane.
An examination of the airplane failed to reveal any mechanical anomalies with the airplane which would have contributed to the accident.
The airplane landed on runway 28. The winds were recorded as 250 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots 23 minutes after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99341
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276434
- Airframe hours
- 12,164
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ate Of Florida, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 24, 1996 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- DPA
- Airport
- DPA · Dupage Airport, runway 28, 4,751 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 32 total · 32 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DPA, 1 nm away
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 N99341 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.