- Date
- December 24, 2016, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Coast, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1289YCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 4, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161224020329A
- Case key
- 94544
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and porpoise.
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
According to the flight instructor who observed the student pilot's first solo flight from the ground, the airplane landed hard and porpoised due to the student pilot's improper flare. A postaccident examination revealed the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the aileron and elevator systems and the firewall. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor who observed the student pilot's first solo flight from the ground, the airplane landed hard and porpoised due to the student pilots improper flare. A post-accident examination showed the airplane had received substantial damage to the aileron and elevator systems, as well as the firewall of the airplane. The flight instructor reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1289Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9851
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 10,585.1
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 16, 2016
- Departed
- FIN · Palm Coast, FL
- Destination
- FIN · Palm Coast, FL
- Airport
- FIN · Flagler Executive, runway 06, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight 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
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 37.9 total · 37.9 in this make and model · 37.9 in the last 90 days · 15.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- KDAB, 19 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.