- Date
- December 3, 2018, 18:05 local (23:05 UTC)
- Place
- Monroe, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N65773Cessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181203020669A
- Case key
- 98735
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, bounced landing and nose landing gear collapse.
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 solo student pilot reported that, upon touchdown, he maintained aft pressure on the control yoke to keep the nose landing gear (NLG) off the runway, but the airplane bounced. The main landing gear touched down again hard, followed by the NLG, which then collapsed, and the left wing impacted the grass adjacent the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that, upon touchdown, he maintained aft pressure on the control yoke to keep the nose landing gear off the runway, but the airplane bounced. The airplane's main landing gear touched down again hard, followed by the nose landing gear, which then collapsed, and the left wing impacted the grass adjacent the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65773
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (P)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275876
- Built
- 1982
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aerowood Aviation
- Registered owner
- Aerowood Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Destination
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Airport
- EQY · Charlotte-Monroe Executive, runway 23, 7,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- KEQY
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 19, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.
Other investigations on N65773 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.