# NTSB LAX04CA219: Cessna R172K, N758ND, Hawthorne, CA, May 21, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: May 20, 2004, 20:45 local (May 21, 2004, 03:45 UTC) - Place: Hawthorne, CA - Coordinates: 33.922779, -118.334999 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9228&lon=-118.3350&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 1, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 59302 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04CA219 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59302/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA219 ## Probable cause the pilot's misjudged flare and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall and hard landing. Factors in the accident were the night conditions and the pilot's lack of familiarity in the make and model of airplane. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - light condition - night (contributing factor) - lack of familiarity with aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall/mush - encountered, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airplane landed hard during night conditions. The pilot said that he flared the airplane higher than normal. The airplane stalled about 10 feet above ground level, and the nose of the airplane to rapidly dropped, resulting in the nose wheel impacting the runway surface hard. The pilot had accumulated a total of 3.5 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On May 20, 2004, about 2045 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna R172K, N758ND, landed hard at the Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne Municipal Airport, Hawthorne, California. A & E Flying Club of Los Angeles, Inc., was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The personal local flight originated at Hawthorne, about 2000. In a written statement, the pilot reported that he was attempting to land on runway 25, in night conditions. During the landing flare, he noted that the airplane was higher than normal. The airplane stalled about 10 feet above ground level, and the nose of the airplane rapidly dropped, resulting in the nose wheel impacting the runway surface hard. During the accident, the airplane incurred damage to the firewall and nose gear. The pilot further stated that he had accumulated a total of 3.5 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane, all of which he acquired in the 90 days prior to the accident. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N758ND](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N758ND), registered now, S/N R1723221 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna R172K - Registry model: [Cessna R172K](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-r172k) (registry code 2072431) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: R1723221 - Airframe hours: 4215.3 - Engines: Continental IO-360-KB 195 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: A & E Flying Club of Los Angeles, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, February 27, 2004, 103.3 hours before - Departed: KHHR, Hawthorne, CA - Destination: Hawthorne, CA - Airport: KHHR, Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne, runway 25, 4,956 × 100 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 40; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review May 20, 2004; seat: left; flight hours: 134 total, 4 in this make and model, 34 in the last 90 days, 21 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 230° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: HHR ## 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 20040520012709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040520012709A), May 20, 2004: Cessna R172K, Hawthorne, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) While practicing takeoff and landings at Hawthorne airport (hhr), the pilot of Cessna N758ND, a CE-172K, made a hard landing causing substantial damage… 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.