- Date
- April 8, 2002, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- McKinney, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N99341Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020408009479A
- Case key
- 54667
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 failure to properly recover from a bounced landing which resulted in the airplane porpoising. A contributing factor was the student pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a bounced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After the 27-hour student pilot and a flight instructor completed approximately 12 landings, the flight instructor exited the airplane. The student pilot then taxied the airplane and departed for his first solo flight. During the third touch and go landing, the pilot reported that the airplane "flared more than usual." The pilot added power; however, the nose wheel struck the runway. Subsequently, the airplane bounced on the runway approximately 4 to 6 times before coming to a stop.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 2002, approximately 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 172P single-engine airplane, N99341, sustained substantial damage following a hard landing while executing touch and go landings at the McKinney Municipal Airport (TKI), McKinney, Texas. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by American Flyers Schools Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight departed Addison Airport, Addison, Texas, at an unknown time.
The 27-hour student pilot and a flight instructor departed Addison Airport and flew to TKI. After completing approximately 12 landings at TKI, the flight instructor exited the airplane. The student pilot then taxied the airplane and departed for his first solo flight. During the third touch and go landing, the pilot reported that the airplane "flared more than usual." The pilot added power; however, the nose wheel struck the runway. Subsequently, the airplane bounced on the runway approximately 4 to 6 times before coming to a stop. The pilot then taxied the airplane off the runway and back to the ramp.
The NTSB was notified of the damage to the airplane on May 2, 2002, after the airplane was recovered to Air Salvage of Dallas, Lancaster, Texas.
According to an NTSB investigator, who examined the airplane after it was recovered, the firewall and forward floor panels were structurally damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99341
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17276434
- Airframe hours
- 13,166.7
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-O2J, 168 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- American Flyers Schools Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2002 · 90.2 hours before
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Destination
- ADS
- Airport
- TKI · Mc Kinney Muni, runway 17, 7,000 × 100 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 27 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 449 KB 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 N99341 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.