# NTSB DEN02LA003: Cessna 172N, N5552E, Provo, UT, October 21, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 20, 2001, 21:45 local (Oct 21, 2001, 03:45 UTC) - Place: Provo, UT - Coordinates: 40.220581, -111.690109 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2206&lon=-111.6901&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 6, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federaql Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 53674 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA003 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53674/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA003 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in aircraft, and the pilot's lack of recent experience in kind of aircraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - recovery from bounced landing - improper, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in kind of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - lack of recent experience in kind of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - light condition - night ## Analysis A witness said that he saw the airplane land with a loud "crunching sound." He said the airplane oscillated several times before rolling out to the end of the runway 31. The pilot said that the airplane landed with what seemed a normal bounce, but bounced a second time which seemed harder. He said that after tying the airplane down, he looked for damage, but could not see any due to the dark night light conditions. Postaccident examination revealed that the firewall was bent, stringers in the fuselage underside were bent, the control yoke would not move, and attachment bolts were broken in the nose gear. The pilot's flight logbook indicated that he had approximately 63 hours of total flight experience. He had flown approximately 13 hours during the last 44 months, and he had a flight review endorsement dated June 5, 2001. The pilot had not flown in the previous 4 and 1/2 months prior to the accident flight. ## Factual narrative On October 20, 2001, approximately 2145 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N5552E, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Provo Municipal Airport (PVU), Provo, Utah. The pilot and his passengers were not injured. Advantage Aviation of Provo, Utah, was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal, night, local flight that originated approximately 1.4 hours before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan. A witness said that he saw the airplane land with a loud "crunching sound." He said the airplane oscillated several times before rolling out to the end of the runway 31. The pilot said that the airplane landed with what seemed a normal bounce, but bounced a second time which seemed harder. He said that after tying the airplane down, he looked for damage, but could not see any due to the dark night light conditions. Postaccident examination revealed that the firewall was bent, stringers in the fuselage underside were bent, the control yoke would not move, and attachment bolts were broken in the nose gear. The pilot's flight logbook indicated that he had approximately 63 hours of total flight experience. He had flown approximately 13 hours during the last 44 months, and he had a flight review endorsement dated June 5, 2001. The pilot had not flown in the previous 4 and 1/2 months prior to the accident flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5552E](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5552E), registered now, S/N 17271887 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172N - Registry model: [Cessna 172N](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (registry code 2072434) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17271887 - Airframe hours: 7100 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-H2AD 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Utah Valley Aviation, doing business as Advantage Aviation - Registered owner: Smith & Barlow Enterprises, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, October 17, 2001, 10 hours before - Departed: PVU, Provo, UT - Airport: PVU, Provo Municipal Airport, runway 31, 8,599 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2; last flight review June 5, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 63 total, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 150° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 30.01 inHg - Observed at: PVU ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20011020029679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011020029679A), Oct 20, 2001: Cessna 172N, Provo, UT, No damage. (-23) Pilot mismanaged controls during landing and bounced 3 times before coming to a stop where he parked the aircraft. ## Other investigations on N5552E (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB SEA97LA060](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA97LA060), Feb 21, 1997: Cessna 172N (N5552E), Delta, UT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to adequately compensate for the prevailing wind conditions, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors contributing to the… - [NTSB DEN86LA184](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN86LA184), Jul 3, 1986: Cessna 172N (N5552E), Tooele, UT, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.