- Date
- December 10, 2022, 11:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Socorro, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N422BCessna 172N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221210020199A
- Case key
- 106441
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 landing flare, which resulted in a hard bounced landing and loss of control in gusting wind.
Findings · 4
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 reported that, while on approach, the airplane encountered turbulence with wind gusts. During the flare, the airplane landed hard and bounced. A wind gust raised the right wing turning the airplane off the runway to the left side toward rising terrain. The pilot applied full power to avoid the terrain when the stall warning horn sounded. The airplane subsequently collided with terrain, substantially damaging both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N422B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17268342
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 12,346.7
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Evans Jack J
- Registered owner
- Evans Jack J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 23, 2022
- Departed
- KABQ · Albequerque, NM
- Destination
- KONM · Socorro, NM
- Airport
- KONM · Socorro Airport, runway 33, 5,841 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 36.7 total · 36.7 in this make and model · 33.9 in the last 90 days · 5.9 in the last 30 days · 2.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KONM, 3 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KONM 101815Z AUTO 36009KT 10SM CLR 08/M03 A3022 RMK AO2 T00821034=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.8 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.