- Date
- May 28, 2015, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- State College, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2254UCessna 172 - R
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Admnistration
- FAA report
- 20150528008909A
- Case key
- 91286
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 adequate airspeed during the approach to landing which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and 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 student pilot was performing a solo cross country flight and was on final approach at the destination airport. The pilot stated that the airplane speed decreased while crossing the runway threshold, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and the airplane landing hard on the main landing gear. The airplane subsequently porpoised, and the nose wheel landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was performing a solo cross country flight and was on final approach at the destination airport. The pilot stated that the airplane speed decreased while crossing the runway threshold, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and the airplane landing hard on the main landing gear. The airplane subsequently porpoised, and the nose wheel landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2254U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 - R (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1780684
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 7,752
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- MTT Aviation Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- MTT Aviation Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 23, 2015
- Departed
- JST · Johnstown, PA
- Destination
- UNV · State College, PA
- Airport
- UNV · University Park, runway 24, 6,701 × 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 73 total · 59 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- KUNV, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 8, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 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.