- Date
- April 30, 2015, 11:34 local (18:34 UTC)
- Place
- Los Angeles, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N65813Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150430006549A
- Case key
- 91144
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 maintain attitude control during the landing flare, resulting 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
On the student pilot's first supervised solo flight; she reported that on her first landing the airplane porpoised three times and then came to a full stop. She taxied back to the departure end of the runway for a second takeoff. On her second landing the airplane porpoised four times, she taxied back to her flight school without further incident. As a result of the hard landing and subsequent porpoise, the flight instructor conducted a postaccident examination of the engine and airframe, and substantial damage to the firewall was discovered. The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
On the student pilot's first supervised solo flight; she reported that on her first landing the airplane porpoised three times and then came to a full stop. She taxied back to the departure end of the runway for a second takeoff. On her second landing the airplane porpoised four times, she taxied back to her flight school without further incident. As a result of the hard landing and subsequent porpoise, the flight instructor conducted a postaccident examination of the engine and airframe, and substantial damage to the firewall was discovered. The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65813
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P (P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275896
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 4,111.1
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Glendale Community College
- Registered owner
- Glendale Community College
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 11, 2015
- Departed
- WHP · Los Angeles, CA
- Destination
- WHP · Los Angeles, CA
- Airport
- WHP · Whiteman, runway 12, 4,120 × 75 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
- 24
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17.2 total · 17.2 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 17.2 in the last 90 days · 10.8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KWHP
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 30, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 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.