- Date
- March 29, 2018, 09:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- New Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N803BWCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180329000139A
- Case key
- 96976
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 a proper landing flare, which resulted in a porpoised 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 student pilot reported that, during a solo flight, as he flared for landing, the airplane "hit" the runway hard. He added that the airplane porpoised about 7 or 8 times before settling on the runway. He then taxied the airplane to the parking ramp with no further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, during a solo flight, as he flared for landing, the airplane "hit" the runway hard. He added that, the airplane porpoised about 7 or 8 times before settling on the runway. He then taxied the airplane to the parking ramp with no further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N803BW
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (R)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17280773
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 6,961
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360 L2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bridgewater State University
- Registered owner
- Bridgewater State University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 19, 2018
- Departed
- EWB · New Bedford, MA
- Destination
- EWB · New Bedford, MA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- EWB · New Bedford Rgnl, runway 32, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 77 total · 77 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KEWB
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 12, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 966 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.