- Date
- May 7, 2012, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Spokane, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54036Cessna 172P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120507007819A
- Case key
- 83636
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 improper landing 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 student pilot said that his approach to landing appeared to be normal, but when the airplane touched down it bounced up into the air. He said that within a second or two it slammed back onto the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that its firewall was wrinkled and that the nosewheel strut and support structure were bent.
Factual narrative
The pilot said that his approach to landing appeared normal, but when the airplane touched down, it bounced up into the air. He said that within a second or two it slammed back to the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed that its firewall was wrinkled, and the nose wheel strut and support structure were bent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54036
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274852
- Airframe hours
- 17,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Spokane Airways, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Rma Inc DBA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 23, 2012
- Departed
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- Destination
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- GEG · Spokane International Arpt, runway 21, 11,002 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- SKA, 4 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 744 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.