- Date
- August 8, 2010, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N64204Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100808042159A
- Case key
- 76903
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 and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
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 after a cross-country flight, she maneuvered the airplane onto final approach while maintaining about 65 knots. The pilot flared too early and as a result, the airplane stalled and landed hard. The airplane bounced down the runway and the pilot continued to pull back on the control yoke. After the third bounce, the airplane touched down and came to a stop at the end of the runway. As the pilot was taxiing the airplane back to the parking area, she noticed that when the rudder was fully deflected to the right it made a clipping sound. When she exited the airplane, she examined the airplane and observed the propeller tips were bent. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that after a cross country flight an airspeed of 65 knots was maintained while on final approach. When the airplane touched-down the pilot thought the landing was hard “where I flared a bit too early and stalled...But there was a total unexpected bounce.” The pilot stated she verified the throttle was idle when the airplane touched down again and bounced a second time. The pilot continued to pull back on the yoke and the airplane touched down and bounced for a third time. After the third bounce the airplane touched down and came to a stop at the end of the runway. As the pilot was taxiing the airplane back to the parking area, she noticed that when the rudder was fully deflected to the right it made a clipping sound. When she exited the airplane, she examined the airplane and observed the propeller tips were bent. Post examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N64204
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275534
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ahart Aviation
- Registered owner
- Ahart Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KLVK · Livemore, CA
- Destination
- KRHV · San Jose, CA
- Airport
- KRHV · Reid-Hillview Airport, runway 13L, 3,100 × 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
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 26, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 284 total · 53 in this make and model · 168 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- KRHV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 719 KB in all.
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 N64204 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.