Cessna 177 N29459

Summary

On 17 October 2004 at about 23:58 local time, a Cessna 177 registered N29459 was involved in an accident near Auburn, Alabama, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2004 at 23:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Auburn, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts (AUO)

Coordinates

32.6089, -85.4339

Aircraft

Cessna 177

Registration

N29459

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbia → Auburn

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL05CA006

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper landing flare resulting in a hard landing. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, while on short final to land on runway 36, he reached up to adjust his glasses and one of the lenses fell out of the frame. The pilot reported that this event distracted him, and he landed the airplane hard on the nose wheel and collapsed the nose gear. Examination of the nose gear revealed the nose wheel broke away from the strut. The nose gear assembly was bent aft and the firewall as buckled. The pilot did not report any mechanical or flight control anomalies prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.