- Date
- November 17, 2007, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Statesboro, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6492ECessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 67122
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 failure to maintain a proper flare at touchdown.
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 27-hour student pilot of the Cessna 172N successfully completed the first leg of a solo cross country flight, and returned for landing on runway 23 at his airport of origin. The pilot reported that on final approach, he was lined up correctly, was at the appropriate speed, and that everything "felt good." He also reported that when he began the flare, a gust of wind "caught the back of the plane," and lifted the tail. The pilot believed that he had landed nose gear first. He completed the rollout and taxied to the terminal without further incident. The pilot did not experience any preimpact failures or malfunctions with the airplane, and a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the propeller, nose landing gear and firewall. The weather observation at the airport about the time of the accident recorded winds from 220 degrees at 4 knots.
Factual narrative
The 27-hour student pilot of the Cessna 172N successfully completed the first leg of a solo cross country flight, and returned for landing on runway 23 at his airport of origin. The pilot reported that on final approach, he was lined up correctly, was at the appropriate speed, and that everything "felt good." He also reported that when he began the flare, a gust of wind "caught the back of the plane," and lifted the tail. The pilot believed that he had landed nose gear first. He completed the rollout and taxied to the terminal without further incident. The pilot did not experience any preimpact failures or malfunctions with the airplane, and a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed damage to the propeller, nose landing gear and firewall. The weather observation at the airport about the time of the accident recorded winds from 220 degrees at 4 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6492E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272024
- Airframe hours
- 8,616
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pegasus Air, doing business as Pegasus Air
- Registered owner
- Pegasus Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 1, 2007
- Departed
- BNL · Barnwell, SC
- Destination
- TBR · Statesboro, GA
- Airport
- TBR · Statesboro-Bulloch County, runway 23, 4,383 × 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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 12 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- TBR