- Date
- July 22, 2015, 22:00 local (Jul 23, 2015, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- North Vernon, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N133VUCessna 172R
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Indianapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150722011849A
- Case key
- 91692
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 failure to maintain pitch control during the landing touchdown, 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
The pilot reported that during the landing touchdown at night, she underestimated how high she was. She reported that the airplane landed on the main landing gear, "bounced back up," then landed on the nose landing gear, and that "it was a hard landing, bouncing a couple of times." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing touchdown at night, she underestimated how high she was. She reported that the airplane landed on the main landing gear, "bounced back up," then landed on the nose landing gear, and that "it was a hard landing, bouncing a couple of times." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N133VU
- Reported as
- Cessna 172R (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17281190
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 4,191.6
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Vincennes University
- Registered owner
- Vincennes University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 2015
- Departed
- EYE · Indianapolis, IN
- Destination
- OVO · North Vernon, IN
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- OVO · North Vernon, runway 05, 5,002 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 13, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 77 total · 77 in this make and model · 28 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KBAK, 19 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 10, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.9 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.