- Date
- November 17, 2008, 14:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N12236Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 69463
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 improper flare during landing. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's lack of experience.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After departing the airport, the student pilot of the Cessna 172M flew with his flight instructor to a fixed location and returned to the airport. The student pilot and his instructor landed at the airport without incident and the flight instructor exited the airplane. The student pilot retrieved the current weather information and departed the airport again. This was the student pilot's third supervised solo flight. He flew back to the fixed location and turned back to the airport. The air traffic control tower cleared him to land. He said the approach seemed “normal.” The airplane touched down, then bounced once, possibly twice. During the bounced landing, the nose gear hit the runway hard. The nose wheel collapsed and the airplane “slid” from the center of the runway to the left edge before coming to a stop.
Factual narrative
After departing the airport, the student pilot of the Cessna 172M flew with his flight instructor to a fixed location and returned to the airport. The student pilot and his instructor landed at the airport without incident and the flight instructor exited the airplane. The student pilot retrieved the current weather information and departed the airport again. This was the student pilot’s third supervised solo flight. He flew back to the fixed location and turned back to the airport. The air traffic control tower cleared him to land. He said the approach seemed “normal.” The airplane touched down; then bounced once, possibly twice. During the bounced landing, the nose gear hit the runway hard. The nose wheel collapsed and the airplane “slid” from the center of the runway to the left edge before coming to a stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12236
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17261936
- Engine
- Lycoming O320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Richards Flight Training
- Registered owner
- Richards Flight Training
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FXE · Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- FXE · Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Airport
- FXE · Ft Lauderdale Exec Airport, runway 31, 4,000 × 100 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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 49 total · 49 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE
Other investigations on N12236 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.