- Date
- August 29, 1996, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Auburn, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9315ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960829029779A
- Case key
- 29551
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 bounced landing recovery. A contributing factor was his lack of recent flying experience.
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
According to the pilot, at the conclusion of his 2.5-hour-long flight he entered the traffic pattern and observed that the airplane was slightly high. On final approach, he believed that the airplane was slightly low, so he reduced the landing flaps to the 10-degree setting. He then realized that he had misjudged his altitude and was, in fact, high. The pilot further reported that he misjudged the airplane's rate of descent, which he characterized as excessive, and the airplane touched down hard on the runway. Thereafter, the airplane bounced, recontacted the runway, bounced again, and came to rest with a collapsed nose gear strut and bent firewall. The pilot had received a biennial flight review the morning of the accident flight. Prior to the BFR, he had not flown an airplane in 2 years.
Factual narrative
On August 29, 1996, at 1630 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N9315E, experienced a hard landing at the Auburn Municipal Airport, Auburn, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged, and neither the private pilot nor the passenger was injured. The flight originated from Lompoc, California, at 1400.
According to the pilot, he made a traffic pattern approach to the airport and was slightly high on the downwind leg. On final approach, he believed that the airplane was slightly low, so he reduced the landing flaps to the 10-degree setting. He then realized that he had misjudged his altitude and was, in fact, high.
The pilot further reported that he misjudged the airplane's rate of descent and attempted a short field landing. He attempted to flare, but the airplane continued its "excessive rate of descent" and it contacted the runway, bounced, recontacted the runway, bounced, and came to rest with a collapsed nose gear strut and bent firewall.
Regarding the pilot's currency, he received a biennial flight review the morning of the accident flight. Prior to the BFR, he had not flown an airplane in 2 years.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9315E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272221
- Airframe hours
- 6,056
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gene E. Schlimmer
- Registered owner
- William D. Tresky
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 11, 1996
- Departed
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Destination
- AUN
- Airport
- AUN · Auburn Municipal, runway 25, 3,100 × 60 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
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 160 total · 100 in this make and model · 100 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 102 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.