- Date
- April 24, 2015, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Clearwater, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1576VCessna 172M
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Tampa FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150424005189A
- Case key
- 91079
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 excessive airspeed during landing, which resulted in abnormal runway contact, a runway excursion, and substantial damage to the airplane.
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 pilot reported that during landing, his airspeed was too high and the airplane bounced. He continued the landing, but the airplane porpoised, and on the third bounce slid off the runway. During the runway excursion, the nose landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing, his airspeed was too high and the airplane bounced. He continued the landing, but the airplane porpoised, and on the third bounce slid off the runway. During the runway excursion, the nose landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1576V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M (M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17263676
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 6,897
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clearwater Helicopters, doing business as tampa Bay Aviation
- Registered owner
- West Florida Flying Service LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 5, 2014
- Departed
- CLW · Clearwater, FL
- Destination
- CLW · Clearwater, FL
- Airport
- CLW · Clearwater Air Park, runway 34, 4,108 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 17, 2015
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 830 total · 184 in this make and model · 687 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KCLW
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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 N1576V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.