- Date
- November 24, 1996, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Olive Branch, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N739ZACessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 30, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961124036329A
- Case key
- 38182
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 improper flare and improper recovery from a ballooned/bounced landing. The gusty wind was a related factor.
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 stated that after making an approach to runway 18, '. . . the airplane ballooned on the landing and I could not keep it on the ground . . . .' The airplane then touched down hard and was damaged. The wind was reported to be from 170 degrees at 15 gusting 17 knots.
Factual narrative
On November 24, 1996, about 1300 central standard time, a Cessna 172N, N739ZA, registered to Wings, Inc., was damaged during a hard landing at Olive Branch Airport, Olive Branch, Mississippi, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Olive Branch, the same day, about 1200.
The pilot stated he was performing takeoffs and landings. On the last landing the aircraft "ballooned" and then landed hard at which time the aircraft was damaged. The pilot stated he had no mechanical problems with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N739ZA
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-70926
- Airframe hours
- 2,888
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Douglas Aviation
- Registered owner
- Wings, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 13, 1996 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- OLV
- Airport
- OLV · Olive Branch, runway 18, 6,000 × 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 53 total · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 15 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 10 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.
Other investigations on N739ZA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.