- Date
- February 14, 2008, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62283Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080214011089A
- Case key
- 67529
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.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot of the Cessna 172P stated that he was conducting a solo cross-country flight. After entering the airport traffic pattern on the downwind leg, he configured the airplane for landing and reduced the engine power to idle on the final leg of the approach. During the landing, the airplane "porpoised and landed hard" resulting in damage to the nose landing gear, propeller, and firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot of the Cessna 172P, he was conducting a solo cross-country flight. After entering the airport traffic pattern on the downwind leg, he configured the airplane for landing and reduced the engine power to idle on the final leg of the approach. During the landing, the airplane "porpoised and landed hard" resulting in damage to the nose landing gear, propeller, and firewall. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62283
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275244
- Airframe hours
- 15,589
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Delta Connection Academy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 1, 2008
- Departed
- SFB · Sanford, FL
- Destination
- GNV · Gainesville, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GNV · Gainesville Regional Airport, runway 11, 7,504 × 150 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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 51 total · 7 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV
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 N62283 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.