- Date
- May 4, 2007, 21:31 local (May 5, 2007, 01:31 UTC)
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N462ERCessna 172SP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070504008939A
- Case key
- 65735
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 at night, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of recent night experience.
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
According to the private pilot, as she approached to land on the runway at the large, well lit, international airport, the Cessna 172SP was "a little high, a little fast, and I flared higher than usual." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and collapsed the nose landing gear, which resulted in substantial damage. According to the pilot, it was her first night solo flight at this airport, and the purpose of the flight was preparation for an additional rating. A review of her logbook revealed that she had accumulated 160 total hours of flight experience, of which 22 hours were at night. She had performed only one night landing with an instructor 2 nights before the accident flight, and the most recent night landing before the instructional flight was 64 days prior.
Factual narrative
According to the private pilot, as she approached to land on the runway at the large, well lit, international airport, the Cessna 172SP was "a little high, a little fast, and I flared higher than usual." The airplane landed hard, bounced, and collapsed the nose landing gear, which resulted in substantial damage. According to the pilot, it was her first night solo flight at this airport, and the purpose of the flight was preparation for an additional rating. A review of her logbook revealed that she had accumulated 160 total hours of flight experience, of which 22 hours were at night. She had performed only one night landing with an instructor 2 nights before the accident flight, and the most recent night landing before the instructional flight was 64 days prior.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N462ER
- Reported as
- Cessna 172SP
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10282
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
- Registered owner
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Destination
- DAB · Daytona Beach, FL
- Airport
- KDAB · Daytona Beach International, runway 7R, 3,195 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 18
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 160 total · 33 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.