- Date
- April 12, 2011, 09:10 local (13:10 UTC)
- Place
- Ft Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N702GRCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 12, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 78840
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 inadequate flare which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 1
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
The student pilot was on a solo cross country flight with the intention of landing at two different local airports before returning to the flight academy base. While landing at her first planned stop, the airplane porpoised twice after touchdown. The student pilot stated that her airspeed was low on final approach and that she did not flare. After the full stop landing, she taxied back to the runway and took off again to fly to her next planned stop. After she landed the airplane at her second stop, the flight academy sent two flight instructors to recover the airplane and student. While conducting a preflight of the airplane to return to the academy, the instructors discovered substantial damage to the firewall.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was on a solo cross country flight with the intention of landing at two different local airports before returning to the flight academy base. While landing at her first planned stop, the airplane porpoised twice after touchdown. The student pilot stated that her airspeed was low on final and that she did not flare. After the full stop landing, she taxied back to the runway and took off again to fly to her next planned stop. After she landed the airplane at her second stop, the flight academy sent two flight instructors to recover the airplane and student. While conducting a preflight of the airplane to return to the academy, the instructors discovered substantial damage to the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N702GR
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280558
- Airframe hours
- 4,905
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Dolphin Leasing
- Registered owner
- Dolphin Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KDAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Destination
- KDAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KFPR · St. Lucie County Airport, runway 10R, 6,492 × 150 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
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 105 total · 105 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 665 KB in all.