- Date
- March 22, 1996, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- New Smyrna Bch, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N75770Cessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960322007499A
- Case key
- 37997
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 pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent porpoise, and subsequent overload failure of the nose gear.
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 an approach for a full stop landing. He realized he was fast and reduced the power to idle and applied full flaps. He flared too late, and the airplane bounced and began to porpoise down the runway. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
On March 22, 1996, about 1630 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172N, N75770, registered to Vintage Props and Jets, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, experienced an on ground loss of control on landing and crashed at the New Smyna Beach Municipal Airport, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from New Smyrna Beach about 1 hour 20 minutes before the accident.
The student pilot stated he was making full stop landings to runway 29. After about seven landings he made a fast approach at about 70 knots. Realizing that he was fast, he reduced the power to idle and applied full flaps. He flared too late and the airplane collided with the runway, bounced and began to porpoise down the runway. He panicked and lost control of the airplane. The nose gear collapsed. The airplane veered to the left and came to a complete stop next to the edge of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N75770
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 726937
- Airframe hours
- 7,896
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Vintage Props And Jets
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 20, 1996 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- 34J
- Airport
- 34J · New Smyrna Beach Muni, runway 29, 4,300 × 100 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.