- Date
- March 6, 1998, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Destin, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N53456Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980306002839A
- Case key
- 38470
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 bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 stated he flared too high during landing. The airplane touched down and bounced back into the air, then landed hard on the nose wheel, resulting in damage to the firewall.
Factual narrative
On March 6, 1998, about 1030 central standard time, a Cessna 172P, registered to Miracle Strip Aviation Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed on landing at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Destin, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated about 15 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he flared too high on landing. The airplane touched down and bounced back into the air and landed hard on the nosewheel. Examination of the airplane revealed the firewall was buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53456
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172-74754
- Airframe hours
- 9,031
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D21, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Miracle Strip Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 19, 1998 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- DTS
- Airport
- DTS · Destin-Ft Walton Beach, runway 32, 4,999 × 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 67 total · 14 in this make and model · 41 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VPS, 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.