- Date
- August 22, 2024, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Louisa, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N72664Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240822013609A
- Case key
- 195051
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 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 pilot was making an intermediate stop during a cross-country flight. While maneuvering the airplane through the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot described encountering “what appeared to be wind shear”. The pilot stated that the airplane “drop[ped] suddenly,” contacted the runway firmly, and bounced. The pilot elected to abort the landing and fly a second approach, during which he did not report encountering any adverse wind or turbulence, and landed without further incident. After landing, the pilot shut down the airplane to check the fuel quantity and take a short break. During the following pre-takeoff run-up procedures, the pilot reported feeling some “resistance” in the elevator control and taxied the airplane back to shut down and report the issue. The airplane’s forward lower fuselage and floorboards were later found to have been substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72664
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280818
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 2,554.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Middle River Aviation
- Registered owner
- Middle River Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 19, 2024 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- MTN · Middle River, MD
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LKU · Louisa County/Freeman Fld, runway 27, 4,300 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 193 total · 182 in this make and model · 122 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- LKU
- METAR
- KLKU 221955Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 25/09 A3024 RMK AO2 T02500092
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.