- Date
- October 20, 2012, 07:15 local (11:15 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N974BCCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20121020023709A
- Case key
- 85482
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 flight instructor's improper power management during a steep, obstacle-clearance approach, which resulted in a hard 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 flight instructor, he was demonstrating to a student pilot the technique required to land the airplane on a short runway over a 50-foot obstacle. About 50 feet over the runway, at an airspeed of 60 knots, with flaps fully deployed, the instructor reduced the throttle to idle and pitched the nose down to "increase airspeed" and flare the airplane before touchdown. Immediately after reducing the engine power to idle, the airplane "sunk," and the instructor responded with a full throttle application. However, the airplane was "too close to the ground," and the engine did not respond in time to prevent a hard landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, he was demonstrating the technique required to land the airplane over a 50-foot obstacle to a short runway. At 50 feet over the runway, 60 knots airspeed, with flaps deployed, he reduced the throttle to idle and pitched the nose down to "increase airspeed" and flare the airplane prior to touchdown. Immediately after reducing the engine power to idle, the airplane "sunk" and the instructor responded with a full-throttle application. The airplane was "too close to the ground" and the engine did not respond in time to prevent a hard landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine firewall. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N974BC
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280044
- Airframe hours
- 6,068
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360 SER A&C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- ADF Airways
- Registered owner
- L & W Aircraft Investment LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 5, 2012 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Destination
- Miami, FL
- Airport
- TMB · Kendall Tamiami, runway 27L, 5,999 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 993 total · 645 in this make and model · 906 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 17
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 49 total · 49 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- TMB
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.7 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.