- Date
- June 16, 1995, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Seattle, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19806Cessna 177B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950616040129A
- Case key
- 42168
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 inadequate remedial action when he encountered porpoising after landing on the nosewheel.
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 that he kept his speed up during approach. He touched down on the nose wheel, bounced, settled, landed on the nose wheel again, and the aircraft porpoised repeatedly, eventually causing structural damage. He stated that he should have added power and pulled the nose up.
Factual narrative
On June 16, 1995, about 1315 Pacific daylight time, N19806, a Cessna 177B, operated by the Big M Flying Club, Inc., Aberdeen, Washington, was substantially damaged when it porpoised during landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The personal flight departed from Hoquiam, Washington, and was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
According to an FAA aviation safety inspector from Renton, Washington, the pilot stated that he was "keeping his speed up" during approach to runway 16L because of transport airplanes behind him. The airplane's airspeed was "130 knots about one mile from the runway." The pilot stated that he touched down on the nose wheel, settled, landed on the nose wheel again, and the aircraft porpoised repeatedly. The nose gear tire failed and the firewall was buckled. No pre-impact mechanical malfunctions were reported. The pilot observed that he should have added power and pulled the nose up to recover from the porpoise.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19806
- Reported as
- Cessna 177B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17702600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1F6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Big M Flying Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Big M Flying Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 1995 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- HQM · Hoquiam, WA
- Destination
- SEA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SEA · Seattle-Tacoma Intn'L, runway 16L, 11,900 × 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 264 total · 144 in this make and model · 175 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.