- Date
- October 14, 2018, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lawrenceville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N996SBCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181014020079A
- Case key
- 98485
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 pitch application, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent fire. Contributing to the accident was the student’s failure to give over the flight controls to the flight instructor when instructed to do so.
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 the student pilot approached the runway with too shallow of an angle. The student applied forward pressure on the yoke, and the airplane's nose pitched down. The instructor recalled that the student's pitch application was excessive, and he called for a transfer of the flight controls. However, the student remained on the controls, and the instructor had to overpower the student's control inputs while the airplane was in a 45° nose-down attitude. The airplane landed hard in a level attitude, and the nose landing gear collapsed. A fire erupted in the cabin, and the instructor used the fire extinguisher to attempt to extinguish the fire. Subsequently, the airplane slid to a stop on the runway, and both occupants exited; the fire consumed the cabin. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin and wings. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot's approach angle was too shallow. The student applied forward pressure to the yoke and the airplane's nose pitched down. The instructor recalled that the student's pitch application was excessive, and he called for a transfer of the flight controls. However, the student remained on the controls and the instructor had to overpower the student's control inputs while the airplane was in a 45° nose down attitude. The airplane landed hard in a level attitude, and the nose landing gear collapsed. A fire erupted in the cabin and the instructor used the fire extinguisher to attempt to extinguish the fire. Subsequently, the airplane slid to a stop on the runway, and both occupants exited as the fire consumed the cabin. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin and the wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N996SB
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (K)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17258251
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 10,896
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Skyfusion II Llc.
- Registered owner
- Skyfusion II Llc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 2018
- Departed
- PDK · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- PDK · Atlanta, GA
- Airport
- LZU · Gwinnett County - Briscoe Fiel, runway 07, 6,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 2, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,006 total · 654 in this make and model · 2,955 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4 total · 4 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- KLZU
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 25, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 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.