- Date
- July 29, 2001, 16:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3532TCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
- FAA report
- 20010729017869A
- Case key
- 52895
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 pilot's misjudged landing flare, which lead to a hard landing, inadvertent porpoise, and his improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After touchdown the airplane bounced into the air, landed hard, and collapsed the nose landing gear. The purpose of the flight was to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The pilot had been conducting closed pattern work for an hour, and indicated that there were no mechanical difficulties with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On July 29, 2001, at 1625 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172S, N3532T, porpoised during landing on runway 21 and collapsed the nose landing gear at the Scottsdale Airport, Scottsdale, Arizona. The airplane was owned and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and sustained substantial damage. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight had originated at 1530.
The Safety Board investigator interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoffs and landings. He had been doing closed pattern work for about an hour prior to the accident, with no mechanical difficulties noted with the airplane.
The pilot stated that after the airplane touched down, it "hopped" a little, like a gust of wind had picked it up. It came back down and then "shot" up into the air. The airplane landed hard and the nose landing gear collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3532T
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S8820
- Airframe hours
- 177
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James B. Elia
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 13, 2001 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- SDL · Scottsdale, AZ
- Destination
- SDL · Scottsdale, AZ
- Airport
- SDL · Scottsdale, runway 21, 8,249 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 3, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 245 total · 20 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- SDL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.