# NTSB IAD02LA082: Cessna 172M, N1727V, Mount Pocono, PA, August 7, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 7, 2002, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC) - Place: Mount Pocono, PA - Coordinates: 41.137222, -75.378608 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1372&lon=-75.3786&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 26, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 55431 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD02LA082 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55431/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA082 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - improper, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis During the student pilot's landing, the nose wheel hit the runway first, and the airplane porpoised three times before coming to a full stop. The student pilot then flew to another airport where he landed uneventfully and taxied for fuel. Upon leaving the airplane, he noticed oil on the cowling. A subsequent examination revealed that the nose strut metering piston was damaged, the attachment bolt was sheared, and the firewall was buckled. ## Factual narrative On August 7, 2002, at 1000 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N1727V, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport (MPO), Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight that originated at Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR), Danbury, Connecticut, at 0900. No flight plan was filed for the solo instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR part 91. According to the student pilot, his approach to the landing was uneventful, but upon touchdown, the nose wheel hit the runway first and the airplane porpoised three times before coming to a full stop. The student pilot then taxied back and flew to Sullivan County International Airport (MSV), Monticello, New York, where he landed, then taxied to the ramp to purchase fuel. Upon leaving the airplane, he noticed oil on the cowling and saw that "the nose strut had no give." He called an airframe and powerplant mechanic who took off the cowling and informed him that the nose gear strut had collapsed. The student pilot then contacted his flight instructor, and the next flight was cancelled. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector subsequently performed an examination of the airplane. According to the inspector, the nose strut metering piston was damaged and the attachment bolt was sheared. The firewall was buckled from the bottom to 6 inches above the top of the nose strut, and the nose tire was damaged. The student pilot reported a total of 76 flight hours of flight time. Weather at the airport at the time of the accident included winds from 320 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, and a few clouds 8,500 feet. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1727V](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1727V-2017-12-15), registration cancelled 2017-12-15, S/N 17263727, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172M - Registry model: [Cessna 172M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172m) (registry code 2072418) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 17263727 - Airframe hours: 6700 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Arrow Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: 100 hour, July 10, 2002, 57 hours before - Departed: DXR, DANBURY, CT - Destination: MPO, MOUNT POCONO, PA - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: MPO, Pocono Mountains Municipal, runway 31, 3,948 × 60 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 70; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 76 total, 76 in this make and model, 8 as pilot in command, 6 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: MPO ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020807017459A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020807017459A), Aug 7, 2002: Cessna 172M, Mount Pocono, PA, Substantial damage. (.19) On August 7, 2002, at 1000 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N1727V, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at the Pocono Mountains… ## Other investigations on N1727V (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA17FA272](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA272), Aug 11, 2017: Cessna 172 (N1727V), New Milford, CT, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The flight instructor's failure to ensure that the wing flaps were properly configured for takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control during the initial climb. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.