- Date
- November 21, 2003, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Orlando, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N378FACessna 172S
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20031121037519A
- Case key
- 58420
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 pilots improper landing flare and his improper recovery from a bounced landing resulting in a hard landing and damage to the airplane.
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 student pilot was on approach to runway 7, with 30 degrees of flaps. He flared and felt a gust or quick jolt to the left, and the airplane slammed into the runway nose first and bounced. The airplane came down at about a 45-degree angle to the runway and touched down, then drifted to the left. The pilot was instructed by ground control to taxi to the ramp. The airplane suffered damage to the nose wheel, propeller, and firewall.
Factual narrative
On November 21, 2003, about 1300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172S, N378FA, registered to Air Audie Inc., and operated by Air Orlando Flight School, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 solo training flight , experienced a hard landing on runway 07, at Orlando Executive Airport, Orlando, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Ocala International Airport, Ocala, Florida, the same day at 1215.
The student pilot stated he was on final approach to runway 7, with 30 degrees of flaps and an airspeed between 65 and 68 knots. He flared and he felt a gust or quick jolt to the left, and the airplane slammed into the runway nose first and bounced. The second time the airplane came down with about a 45-degree angle to the runway and touched down, the airplane deviated towards the left. Application of the rudder was not effective. The pilot applied brakes to slow the aircraft down and was instructed by ground control to taxi to the ramp. A weather observation taken at 1253, the same day at Orlando Executive Airport, reported the wind was from 20 degrees at 10 knots. The airplane sustained damage to the nose wheel, propeller, and firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N378FA
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9378
- Airframe hours
- 349.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Orlando Flight School
- Registered owner
- Air Audie Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 23, 2003 · 55.6 hours before
- Departed
- KOCF · Ocala, FL
- Destination
- ORL · Orlando, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ORL · Orlando Excecutive Airport, runway 07, 6,003 × 150 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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 42 total · 42 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KORL
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 N378FA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.