- Date
- July 24, 2017, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Powell, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6470ECessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170724015599A
- Case key
- 95665
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 and subsequent failure to relinquish the flight controls, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 flight instructor reported that, during the landing flare about 20 ft above the runway, the student pilot "froze" at the flight controls. She added that she told the student pilot, "Add power – too high," but the student did not respond. The student pilot "hung on" to the flight controls, "forcing [the] instructor to push full power and physically [take the] airplane." Subsequently, the airplane landed hard, and the left wing impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that, during the landing flare about 20 ft. above the runway, the student pilot "froze" at the flight controls. She added that, she told the student pilot, "Add power – too high", but the student did not respond. The student pilot "hung on" to the flight controls, "forcing [the] instructor to push full power and physically [take the] airplane." Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and the left wing impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6470E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46570
- Built
- 1959
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 1, 2017
- Departed
- COD · Cody, WY
- Destination
- POY · Powell, WY
- Airport
- POY · Powell Muni, runway 13, 6,200 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 2, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 20,054 total · 4,750 in this make and model · 19,054 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 275 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOD, 23 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 15, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 531 KB 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.
Other investigations on N6470E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.