- Date
- April 7, 2009, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Richland, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7582GCessna 172L
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 73619
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 landing flare.
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 pilot reported that he had not flown an airplane during the previous 6 months and that he intended to acquire currency by performing a series of stop-and-go landings. The pilot took off and performed the first landing without mishap. According to the pilot, during the second approach he flared out too high. Thereafter, the airplane impacted the runway in a nose-low attitude and bounced. The second contact occurred while in a nose-low attitude. After the hard landing, the pilot taxied off the runway and parked his airplane. A subsequent structural examination of the airplane revealed that the nose gear assembly was broken and the lower portion of the firewall was buckled.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he had not flown an airplane during the previous 6 months, and he intended to acquire currency by performing a series of stop-and-go landings. The pilot took off and performed the first landing without mishap. According to the pilot, during the second approach he flared out too high. Thereafter, the airplane impacted the runway in a nose low attitude and bounced. The second contact occurred while in a nose low attitude. After the hard landing, the pilot taxied off the runway and parked his airplane. A subsequent structural examination of the airplane revealed that the nose gear assembly was broken, and the lower portion of the firewall was buckled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7582G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17259282
- Airframe hours
- 4,080
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mickelson Delbert
- Registered owner
- Mickelson Delbert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 2007 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- RLD · Richland, WA
- Destination
- RLD · Richland, WA
- Airport
- RLD · Richland, runway 01, 4,009 × 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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 30, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 263 in this make and model · 0 in the last 90 days · 0 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F