ERA09LA549

While conducting practice landings and takeoffs, the student pilot landed hard, which resulted in a cut nose wheel, a damaged nose strut, and wrinkling of the firewall. The student pilot did not report the damage to officials from the flying club that operated the airplane. The damage was discovered during a maintenance inspection. The student pilot subsequently left the flying club and did not respond to the club's emails or telephone messages. Two other student pilots and their flight instructor confirmed that during the three previous flights, they noted no damage to the airplane.

On August 19, 2009, about 0900 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N64344, operated by the Pensacola Navy Flying Club, was substantially damaged during a landing at Pensacola Regional Airport (PNS), Pensacola, Florida. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the solo instructional flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the student pilot had intended to fly a solo cross country flight to Mobile; however, due to inclement weather there, he decided to remain in the traffic pattern at Pensacola for touch and go landings. During one of the landings, the student pilot landed hard, but did not subsequently report it to any club personnel. On August 20, 2009, damage to the airplane was discovered which included a cut nose wheel tire, a damaged nose strut, and wrinkling of the engine firewall. The damage was not reported to either the FAA or the NTSB, but came to the attention of the FAA in early November 2009, when a ferry permit was requested. According to club officials, the student pilot flew the airplane 0.5 hours on the day of the accident. During a subsequent flight in another Cessna 172, the student pilot lost control of the airplane, veering off the runway and snapping off the nose landing gear. The student pilot then left the club and was not responsive to emails or telephone calls. According to student pilots who flew the airplane the previous three flights with a flight instructor, there were no noted pre- or post-flight mechanical anomalies or damage noted with the airplane. The flight instructor for those previous three flights also confirmed no damage before or after the flights. Winds, recorded at the airport about the time of the accident, were from 130 degrees true at 13 knots. It is unknown which runway was being used by the student pilot when the accident occurred; however, winds favored runway 17.