- Date
- August 10, 2013, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Prescott, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N544ERCessna 172S
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 21, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130810014109A
- Case key
- 87790
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, 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 pilot reported that following a series of practice takeoff and landings, she noticed that the wind was increasing and decided to land. During the landing she did not flare enough, and the airplane touched down just prior to when she thought it would. The hard landing resulted in structural damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that following a series of practice takeoff and landings, she noticed that the wind was increasing and decided to land. During the landing she did not flare enough, and the airplane touched down just prior to when she thought it would. The hard landing resulted in structural damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N544ER
- Reported as
- Cessna 172S
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172S10526
- Airframe hours
- 4,984
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-L2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
- Registered owner
- Avn Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 12, 2013 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
- Destination
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
- Airport
- PRC · Ernest A. Love Field Airport, runway 21L, 7,619 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 54 total · 54 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 12, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.