- Date
- February 19, 2008, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Perry, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3015ECessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080219832489A
- Case key
- 67565
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 inadequate compensation for wind conditions during landing. Contributing to the accident were the gusting winds.
Findings · 2
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 airplane departed and flew for approximately 1 hour before returning to find stronger, gusting winds. He initially intended to do "some touch and go landings," but due to the wind conditions, he opted to end the flight with a single, full stop landing. Due to the gusts, the pilot made a go-around on his first approach. He used a reduced flap setting of 20 degrees for his second approach, and during the flare, a gust of wind caused the airplane to "balloon." The pilot attempted to recover by adding power, but the airplane landed hard, nose gear first, bounced, and then landed normally. The pilot taxied to the terminal without further incident. The pilot did not experience any preimpact failures or malfunctions with the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The weather observation at an airport 11 miles to the northeast, about the time of the accident, showed winds from 250 degrees, at 8 knots, with gusts to 16 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot of the Cessna 172N departed and flew for approximately 1 hour before returning to find stronger, gusting winds. He initially intended to perform "some touch and go landings," but due to the wind conditions, the pilot opted to terminate the flight with a single, full stop landing. Due to the gusts, the pilot executed a go-around on his first approach. He used a reduced flap setting of 20 degrees for his second approach, and during the flare, a gust of wind caused the airplane to "balloon." The pilot attempted to recover by adding power, but the airplane "landed hard" nose gear first, bounced, and then landed normally. The pilot 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 substantial damage to the firewall. The weather observation at an airport 11 miles to the northeast, about the time of the accident, showed winds from 250 degrees, at 8 knots with gusts to 16 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3015E
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1721404
- Airframe hours
- 4,968
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Central Georgia Aviation, doing business as Central Georgia Aviation
- Registered owner
- Central Georgia Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2008
- Departed
- PXE · Perry, GA
- Destination
- PXE · Perry, GA
- Airport
- PXE · Perry-Houston County Airport, runway 36, 5,002 × 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 60 total · 60 in this make and model · 26 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- WRB, 11 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 N3015E · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.