- Date
- May 2, 2016, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N509NDCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160502007879A
- Case key
- 93122
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 flare, which resulted in an abnormal runway contact, porpoise, nose gear collapse, runway excursion, and impact with terrain.
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 reported that during landing the airplane porpoised, subsequently he attempted to abort the landing, but the airplane touched down again, which resulted in a collapsed nose gear, runway excursion, and an impact with terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that during landing the airplane porpoised, subsequently he attempted to abort the landing, but the airplane touched down again, which resulted in a collapsed nose gear, runway excursion, and an impact with terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N509ND
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10950
- Built
- 2010
- Airframe hours
- 5,613
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Und Aerospace Foundation
- Registered owner
- Und Aerospace Foundation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- P08 · Coolidge, AZ
- Destination
- IWA · Mesa, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- IWA · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, runway 30L, 10,401 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Video recording device, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, 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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 68 total · 68 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KIWA, 1 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 12, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.