- Date
- May 19, 2016, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Newport News, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1724UCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 25, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160519004689A
- Case key
- 93283
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 incorrect pitch control during the landing flare, which resulted in abnormal runway contact and a substantially damaged firewall.
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
Following an instructional pattern flight of about 2 hours, the solo student pilot took off and remained in the traffic pattern. During the first landing touchdown, the student pilot reported that he landed in a flat pitch attitude and the nose wheel tire blew. Subsequently, the airplane started to porpoise and the propeller struck the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
Following an instructional pattern flight of about 2 hours, the solo student pilot took off and remained in the traffic pattern. During the first landing touchdown, the student pilot reported that he landed in a flat pitch attitude and the nose wheel tire blew. Subsequently, the airplane started to porpoise and the propeller struck the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1724U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10443
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 4,139.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Freedom Aviation
- Registered owner
- Liberty University School Of Aeronautics
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 25, 2016
- Departed
- PHF · Newport News, VA
- Destination
- PHF · Newport News, VA
- Airport
- PHF · Newport News/Williamsburg Intl, runway 07, 8,003 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator
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
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model · 21 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KPHF
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 14, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.