- Date
- December 2, 2008, 14:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N172MNCessna 172RG
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 69544
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 misjudged the landing flare resulting in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that during a normal approach to landing he misjudged the height between the airplane and the runway during the flare and the airplane settled onto the runway hard. The airplane bounced and the pilot said he lowered the nose and the airplane entered a porpoise followed by the propeller contacting the runway. The firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot said there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during a normal approach to landing he misjudged the height between the airplane and the runway during the flare and the airplane settled onto the runway hard. The airplane bounced and the pilot said he lowered the nose and the airplane entered a porpoise followed by the propeller contacting the runway. The firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot said there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N172MN
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0268
- Airframe hours
- 6,563
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 2008
- Departed
- O02 · Beckwourth, CA
- Destination
- TRK · Truckee, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- TRK · Truckee-Tahoe Airport, runway 19, 4,650 × 75 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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 274 total · 40 in this make and model · 136 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- TRK