- Date
- May 29, 2003, 10:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Kapolei, HI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5329LCessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20030529013179A
- Case key
- 57106
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, and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear and structural damage to the airplane.
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
The student pilot was on her first solo flight. On her first landing, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and began to porpoise down the runway. The nose landing gear subsequently collapsed, damaging the nose landing gear and firewall. The student pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On May 29, 2003, about 1020 Hawaiian standard time, a Cessna 172S, N5329L, landed hard and porpoised down the runway before coming to rest on its nose at Kalaeloa Airport/John Rogers Field, Kapolei, Hawaii. The airplane was owned and operated by Flight School Hawaii, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane was substantially damaged. The local supervised solo instructional flight departed Kapolei about 1000. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
According to the manager at Flight School Hawaii, this was the student's first supervised solo. Prior to the accident she had been doing pattern work with her certified flight instructor (CFI), which included five takeoffs and landings. No discrepancies were noted with the student's landings. On the accident landing, the first solo landing, the airplane landed hard and began to porpoise down the runway. The student was unable to initiate a recovery before the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest on its nose.
During the accident, the airplane incurred damage to the firewall and nose landing gear. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5329L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9332
- Airframe hours
- 141
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight School Hawaii, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Makani Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 12, 2003 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- JRF · Kapolei, HI
- Destination
- JRF · Kapolei, HI
- Airport
- JRF · Kalaeloa Airport (John Rodgers, runway 04L, 4,500 × 200 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 16 total · 16 in this make and model · 16 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- JRF
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 N5329L · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.