- Date
- September 25, 2019, 10:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- St. Augustine, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N309BRCessna 172
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190925018609A
- Case key
- 100485
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 bounced, hard 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 solo student pilot reported that, while landing, the airplane bounced and landed hard and that the airplane then began to veer right. He taxied off the runway 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.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that, while landing, the airplane bounced and landed hard. The airplane began to "cavitate" and veered right. He taxied off the runway without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage aft of the nose wheel. The solo student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N309BR
- Reported as
- Cessna 172 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8101
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 4,977
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Valdosta Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Valdosta Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 30, 2019
- Departed
- GNV · Gainesville, FL
- Destination
- SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SGJ · Northeast Florida Rgnl, runway 31, 7,997 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 50 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KSGJ
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 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.