- Date
- August 4, 2019, 11:18 local (15:18 UTC)
- Place
- Ocean City, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N197MECessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190804015989A
- Case key
- 100113
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 with a tailwind, which resulted in a hard, bounced 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 solo student pilot reported that, while landing, the airplane "bounced" and then landed "hard." She corrected by pitching the airplane for straight-and-level flight and prepared to flare again. However, the airplane touched down hard on the runway and bounced again. She was able to land the airplane and taxied it to the ramp without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage aft of the nosewheel. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 160° at 7 knots. The student was landing the airplane on runway 32.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, while landing, the airplane "bounced big/hard." She corrected by pitching the airplane for straight and level flight and prepared to flare again. The airplane touched down hard on the runway and bounced again. She was able to land and taxied to the ramp without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage aft of the nose wheel. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 160° at 7 knots. The student was landing the airplane on runway 32.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N197ME
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8472
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 3,004
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- OXB · Ocean City, MD
- Destination
- OXB · Ocean City, MD
- Airport
- OXB · Ocean City Muni, runway 32, 4,074 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, 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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 81.1 total · 81.1 in this make and model · 6.8 as pilot in command · 61.7 in the last 90 days · 25.6 in the last 30 days · 3.9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KOXB
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 18, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 727 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 N197ME · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.