- Date
- September 14, 2014, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Naples, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N21670Cessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20140914019099A
- Case key
- 90136
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. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land due to the deteriorating weather conditions.
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
The solo student pilot was returning to her home airport, and was on a straight-in approach to the 6,600-foot runway. At the time of the landing clearance, the tower controller reported that the weather conditions were "deteriorating rapidly" to instrument meteorological conditions, but the pilot reported the runway was in sight during the entire approach. She said she completed the approach in accordance with traffic pattern altitudes and speed, and set the flaps to 20 degrees prior to touchdown. During the landing, the airplane touched down "hard" on the main and nose landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot was returning to her home airport, and was on a straight-in approach to the 6,600-foot runway. At the time of the landing clearance, the tower controller reported that the weather conditions were "deteriorating rapidly" to instrument meteorological conditions, but the pilot reported the runway was in sight during the entire approach. She said she completed the approach in accordance with traffic pattern altitudes and speed, and set the flaps to 20 degrees prior to touchdown. During the landing, the airplane touched down "hard" on the main and nose landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation..
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21670
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9709
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 3,345
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rexair Sales & Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- Rexair Sales & Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 11, 2014 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- OBE · Okeechobee, FL
- Destination
- APF · Naples, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- APF · NAPLES Municipal, runway 23, 6,600 × 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 63 total · 63 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,400 ft
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- APF
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 24, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.2 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.
Other investigations on N21670 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.