- Date
- February 20, 1995, 16:30 local (Feb 21, 1995, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Redlands, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N51920Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950220004499A
- Case key
- 29053
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 use of an excessive approach speed and glidepath angle and his improper bounced landing recovery technique.
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
Ground witnesses observed the aircraft on final for runway 26 and said it was high and fast. About midfield, the pilot dove the aircraft to the runway and the aircraft bounced on the nose gear, entered a porpoise, and eventually collapsed the nose gear strut.
Factual narrative
On February 20, 1995, at 1630 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172P, N51920, collapsed the nose gear following a porpoise from a bounced landing at Redlands, California. The aircraft was operated by Redlands Aviation Corporation of Redlands and rented by the pilot for a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at San Luis Obispo, California, on the day of the accident at 1410.
Ground witnesses observed the aircraft on final for runway 26 and said it was high and fast. About midfield, the pilot dove the aircraft to the runway and the aircraft bounced on the nose gear, entered a porpoise, and eventually collapsed the nose gear strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51920
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274377
- Airframe hours
- 7,522
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-ACJ, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Redlands Aviation Corporation
- Registered owner
- Gary R. Wilson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 22, 1994 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- SBP · San Luis Obispo, CA
- Destination
- L12
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- L12 · Redlands Municipal, runway 26, 4,505 × 75 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 51 in this make and model · 78 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
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 N51920 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.