- Date
- November 20, 1996, 15:56 local (22:56 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N26FRCessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961120036199A
- Case key
- 29688
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 technique, which led to an inadvertent porpoise.
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
the pilot landed hard on the nose wheel then porpoised up and allowed the aircraft to settle by itself and roll off the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to the accident and that weather was not a factor.
Factual narrative
On November 20, 1996, at 1556 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 172P, N26FR, operated by Superstition Air Service, Inc., of Mesa, Arizona, departed the runway at Falcon Field after landing nose wheel first and porpoising. The aircraft received substantial damage in the hard landing and subsequent departure from the runway. The certificated private pilot, who was practicing landings at the time of the accident, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated and terminated at Falcon field.
In her written report, the pilot stated that "I hit hard on the nose wheel then porpoised up [and] I just allowed the aircraft to settle by itself. Eventually the aircraft slowly rolled off [the runway.]" The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to the accident and that weather was not a factor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26FR
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275776
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Superstition Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 1, 1996 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Field, runway 22R, 3,800 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 10 in this make and model · 51 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.