- Date
- August 4, 2002, 11:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Monticello, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N758ARCessna R172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 6, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020804018699A
- Case key
- 55422
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 failure to maintain aircraft control during landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing factors include the porpoise and subsequent bounced landing and the student pilot's lack of total experience.
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 on a solo cross-country flight and was conducting a touch-and-go landing at an enroute airport. The approach was "normal with slight turbulence and a quartering headwind." His flare was "straight down the runway, however [he] struck the nose wheel first and started to porpoise." The airplane porpoised several times and struck the edge of the runway hard, collapsing the nose landing gear and buckling the firewall. He maneuvered the airplane back on to the runway and taxied it to the parking area.
Factual narrative
On August 4, 2002, at approximately 1115 mountain daylight time, a Cessna R172K, N758AR, operated by SB Aviation Group Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a touch-and-go landing at Monticello Airport (U43), Monticello, Utah. The student pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A visual flight rules flight plan was filed for this cross-country solo flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN), Farmington, New Mexico, at approximately 0830.
According to the student pilot, he was on a solo cross-country flight and was conducting a touch-and-go landing at Monticello. The approach was "normal with slight turbulence and a quartering headwind." His flare was "straight down the runway, however I struck the nose wheel first and started to porpoise." The airplane porpoised several times and struck the edge of the runway hard, collapsing the nose landing gear and buckling the firewall. He maneuvered the airplane back on to the runway and taxied it to the parking area.
At the time of the accident, the weather conditions at Moab, UT, located at 350 degrees and 50 statute miles from Monticello were: wind, 070 degrees at 5 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; temperature, 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit), dew point, 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit); and the altimeter setting was, 30.18. The calculated density altitude at was 7,477 ft. msl.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N758AR
- Reported as
- Cessna R172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R1722946
- Airframe hours
- 6,027
- Engine
- Continental IO-360-KB, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sevenbar Four Corners
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 26, 2002 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- CNY · Moab, UT
- Destination
- FMN · Farmington, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- U43 · Monticello, runway 16, 4,817 × 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
- 17
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 31 total · 15 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- CNY, 50 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.