- Date
- June 10, 2011, 10:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Naples, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2458GCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- Naples Airport Authority
- FAA report
- 20110610010499I
- Case key
- 80733
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 pilot’s improper flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
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
The pilot reported that, during the late stage in his approach to land, he was distracted by a large insect that hit the windscreen. Simultaneously, a gust of wind disturbed the airplane's attitude and the pilot overcompensated with the flight controls in response, causing the airplane to porpoise. This led to a premature touchdown and caused the airplane to bounce. As the airplane bounced, the propeller struck the runway and the nose tire deflated, substantially damaging the firewall and lower fuselage. The pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the late stage in his approach to land, he was distracted by a large insect that hit the windscreen. Simultaneously, a gust of wind disturbed the aircraft attitude which resulted in an overcompensation of the flight controls and subsequent airplane porpoising. This lead to a premature touchdown and caused the airplane to bounce. As the airplane bounced, the propeller struck the runway and the nose tire deflated, substantially damaging the firewall and lower fuselage. The pilot stated he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2458G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280893
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Silver Express Co
- Registered owner
- Silver Express Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Destination
- APF · Naples, FL
- Airport
- APF · Naples Municipal Airport, runway 05, 5,290 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- March 28, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 112 total · 50 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- APF
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 287 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.