- Date
- December 1, 2011, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Schenectady, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N83PDCessna 172P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20111201028469A
- Case key
- 82456
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 inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of 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
After a brief local flight, the pilot returned to the departure airport. During the landing, the airplane touched down on the runway and bounced. The pilot again attempted to land the airplane; however, the airplane’s nose dropped, and the nose landing gear and propeller struck the runway, resulting in a second bounce. The airplane struck the runway again before the pilot regained control of it and taxied it to the hangar. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Factual narrative
After a brief local flight, the pilot returned to the departure airport. During the landing the airplane touched down on the runway and bounced. The pilot again attempted to land the airplane, however the nose dropped and the nose landing gear and propeller struck the runway, resulting in a second bounce. The pilot subsequently regained control of the airplane after it struck the runway a third time and taxied to the hangar uneventfully. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83PD
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274181
- Airframe hours
- 12,090
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marine Flyer LLC
- Registered owner
- Marine Flyer LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 21, 2011
- Departed
- SCH · Schenectady, NY
- Destination
- SCH · Schenectady, NY
- Airport
- SCH · Schenectady County Airport, runway 28, 4,850 × 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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 3, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 14 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- ALB, 8 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.