- Date
- December 13, 2013, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Farmingdale, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2854ECessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 4, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20131213025409A
- Case key
- 88608
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 landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 was landing at his destination airport. He reported that when the airplane was over the runway numbers, he reduced engine power to idle to prepare for landing. During touchdown, the airplane landed hard and bounced. The airplane bounced two additional times before coming to rest on the runway with a blown nose landing gear tire. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall. The student pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal flight.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing at his destination airport. He reported that when the airplane was over the runway numbers, he reduced engine power to idle to prepare for landing. During touchdown, the airplane landed hard and bounced. The airplane bounced two additional times before coming to rest on the runway with a blown nose landing gear tire. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall. The student pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2854E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N (N)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17271345
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 6,391
- Engine
- Lycoming O&VO-360 SER, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 24, 2013
- Departed
- 3N6 · Old Bridge, NJ
- Destination
- BLM · Belmar/Farmingdale, NJ
- Airport
- BLM · Monmouth Executive, runway 32, 7,371 × 85 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 18
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 7, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 44 total · 44 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- BLM
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 22, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.1 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.