- Date
- February 3, 2014, 09:53 local (14:53 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N828BMCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20140203001789A
- Case key
- 88801
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 · 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 student pilot, this was his first solo flight and he was conducting touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. On the third landing, he flared the airplane high; it landed hard and bounced back into the air. He then pitched the nose of the airplane up and the tail section struck the runway prior to landing. The student pilot taxied the airplane off of the active runway and brought it to a full stop. A visual examination revealed minor damage to the exterior of the airplane. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was examined by maintenance personnel for further damage and released back into service. The airplane was used during another flight, and flight controls were noted as difficult to manipulate. The airplane was returned for further examination and during the second examination, substantial damage was noted to the firewall from the first event.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, this was his first solo flight and he was conducting touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. On the third landing, he flared the airplane high; it landed hard and bounced back into the air. He then pitched the nose of the airplane up and the tail section struck the runway prior to landing. The student pilot taxied the airplane off of the active runway and brought it to a full stop. A visual examination revealed minor damage to the exterior of the airplane. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was examined by maintenance personnel for further damage and released back into service. The airplane was used during another flight, and flight controls were noted as difficult to manipulate. The airplane was returned for further examination and during the second examination, substantial damage was noted to the firewall from the first event.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N828BM
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280134
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 1,715
- Engine
- Lycoming I0360 SER, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Christiansen Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Christiansen Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 20, 2014 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Airport
- FPR · St Lucie County International, runway 10, 6,492 × 150 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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 29 total · 29 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- FPR
Docket · 10
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 11.6 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.