- Date
- December 4, 2003, 09:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Nogales, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5216JCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20031204031179A
- Case key
- 58430
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 recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain directional control.
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
During the student pilot's first landing on his first solo flight, the airplane bounced, and he lost directional control during the landing roll. The airplane veered off the runway, impacted trees, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 2003, about 0905 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172N, nosed over following a bounced landing at the Nogales International Airport, Nogales, Arizona. The airplane was operated by Tiffin Aviation Services, Inc., in Nogales, and it was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured during the solo instructional flight that was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Nogales about 0900.
According to the pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot, the accident occurred during the student pilot's first landing during his first solo flight. After taking off, the student remained in the traffic pattern. The student reported that he entered the airport's downwind leg, turned onto the base leg, and flew the final approach course without difficulty. The wing flaps were extended, and the final approach speed was about 60 knots. The airplane touched down on runway 21 and bounced. According to the student, when the airplane touched down again it was near the left edge of the runway. The student reported that he applied right rudder and aileron to correct the airplane's course, but he was not successful. The airplane veered off the runway, collided with trees, and nosed over.
About the time of the accident, the local wind direction was reported from 140 degrees. Its speed was about 3 knots.
The student's total flying experience and experience in the Cessna 172 was about 30 hours. He had flown the airplane 22.7 hours during the preceding 90-day period.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5216J
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17273736
- Airframe hours
- 8,576
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Tiffin Aviation Services Inc
- Registered owner
- Knotts Landing, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 20, 2003 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- OLS · Nogales, AZ
- Destination
- OSL · Nogales, AZ
- Airport
- OLS · Nogales International, runway 21, 7,199 × 90 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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 30 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 23 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- OLS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.