- Date
- July 17, 2013, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Barbra, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N971TACessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130717014059A
- Case key
- 87522
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 inadequate landing 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
During the student pilot's first approach for landing she felt she was too high and did a go-around. On the second approach the airplane landed hard, and the propeller struck the runway. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed a damaged propeller, and substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage floor. The operator reported that there were no known/reported mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During the student pilot's first approach for landing she felt she was too high and did a go-around. On the second approach the airplane landed hard, and the propeller struck the runway. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed a damaged propeller, and substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage floor. The operator reported that there were no known/reported mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N971TA
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S9170
- Airframe hours
- 3,840
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Royal Aviation
- Registered owner
- Banner Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 23, 2013
- Departed
- KSNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- KSBA · Santa Barbra, CA
- Airport
- KSBA · Santa Barbra, runway 25, 6,052 × 150 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
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 54 total · 54 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KSBA
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 MB 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.