- Date
- May 20, 2008, 10:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6521JCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080520836109A
- Case key
- 68056
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 inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that his approach to landing was unstable and that he added power on short final because he was too low and slow. When the landing gear touched down, the airplane began porpoising with "several hard bounces" down the runway, ultimately resulting in propeller strike damage, firewall damage, engine mount damage, and nose wheel damage.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that his approach to landing was unstable and that he added power on short final because he was too low and slow. When the landing gear touched down, the airplane began porpoising with "several hard bounces" down the runway, ultimately resulting in propeller strike damage, firewall damage, engine mount damage, and nose wheel damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6521J
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17273883
- Airframe hours
- 13,255
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-O2G, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- West Valley Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Steven & Andrea Blonstein
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 1, 2008
- Departed
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto Arpt Of Santa Clara, runway 31, 2,443 × 65 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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2006
- Flight hours
- 224 total · 5 in this make and model · 75 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO
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 N6521J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.