- Date
- September 14, 2011, 10:09 local (14:09 UTC)
- Place
- Naples, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N10632Cessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Fort Lauderdale FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110914020649A
- Case key
- 81793
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, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent loss of directional control.
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 student pilot stated that he entered the traffic pattern at the airport and completed all before-landing checks. He said that the airplane touched down hard, and he lost directional control. The airplane exited the runway, collided with an embankment and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, right wing, and right horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated he was on a solo cross-country flight. He entered the traffic pattern at his intermediate stop and completed all before landing checks. He turned on final approach for landing and flared too late, resulting in a hard landing, loss of directional control, runway excursion, and collision with an embankment during an attempted go-around. The airplane sustained structural damage to the firewall, right wing, and right horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10632
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17281431
- Airframe hours
- 2,723
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Orlando Flight Training
- Registered owner
- N80ft Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 26, 2011 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- ISM · Kissimmee, FL
- Destination
- APF · Naples, FL
- Airport
- APF · Naples Municipal Airport, runway 14, 5,000 × 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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 125 total · 125 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- APF
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 25, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB 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.