- Date
- July 25, 2012, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ashland, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N738AJCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120725015679A
- Case key
- 84582
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 flare, which resulted in a hard 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 she was practicing short-field landings. On her third landing, she flared too early and landed hard. The airplane bounced and porpoised, which bent and wrinkled the lower half of the firewall.
Factual narrative
The student pilot said that she was practicing short-field landings. On her third landing, she flared too early and landed hard. The airplane bounced and porpoised, which bent and wrinkled the lower half of the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N738AJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269823
- Airframe hours
- 8,644
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Skinner Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- Skinner Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 2012
- Departed
- S03 · Ashland, OR
- Destination
- S03 · Ashland, OR
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- S03 · Ashland Municipal Arpt, runway 30, 3,603 × 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 58 total · 58 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- MFR
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 13, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 567 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 N738AJ · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.