- Date
- June 14, 2012, 20:15 local (Jun 15, 2012, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tupelo, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N78794Cessna 172K
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 26, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20120614012299A
- Case key
- 84022
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 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
According to the pilot, he arrived at the airport late in the day but still under daylight conditions, and the runway lights were illuminated. On approach, the wind was calm. The pilot maintained his target approach airspeed with 30 degrees of flaps. Once over the runway, the airplane floated about 1,000 feet. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice with the pilot maintaining the same yoke position. After the second bounce, the pilot thought about adding power, but events were occurring too rapidly. The airplane then touched down hard, the nose landing gear separated from the airframe, and the airplane slid to a stop, sustaining substantial damage to the firewall. Neither the pilot nor the passenger reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the airplane arrived at the cross country airport late in the day, but still under daylight conditions with the runway lights illuminated. Winds were calm. The pilot maintained his target approach airspeed at 30 degrees' flaps; however, once over the runway, the airplane floated about 1,000 feet. The airplane then bounced twice with the pilot maintaining the same yoke position. After the second bounce, the pilot thought about adding power, but events were occurring too rapidly. Instead, the airplane descended again to the runway; the nose landing gear separated from the airframe, damaging the engine firewall; and the airplane slid to a stop. Neither the pilot nor the passenger reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78794
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17257764
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- OLV · Olive Branch, MS
- Destination
- TUP · Tupelo, MS
- Airport
- TUP · Tupelo Regional Airport, runway 36, 6,502 × 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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 50 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUP
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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.