- Date
- June 25, 2015, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Traverse City, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N195NWCessna 172 - S
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Grand Rapids FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150625008799A
- Case key
- 91451
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 pitch control during the landing, 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
In a written statement provided by the flight instructor, the solo student pilot porpoised during the landing, came to a full stop, and taxied to the ramp. A post-flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall, the underside of the fuselage, and the floor under the rudder pedals. The flight instructor reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
In a written statement provided by the flight instructor, the solo student pilot porpoised during the landing, came to a full stop, and taxied to the ramp. A post-flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall, the underside of the fuselage, and the floor under the rudder pedals. The flight instructor reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N195NW
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 - S (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S11095
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 2,383.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Northwestern Michigan College
- Registered owner
- Northwestern Michigan College
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 23, 2015
- Departed
- KCAD · Cadillac, MI
- Destination
- KTVC · Traverse City, MI
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- KTVC · Cherry Capital Airport- Traver, runway 18, 5,378 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KTVC
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 22, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.