Cessna 172S N9965P

Summary

On 3 September 2012 at about 15:15 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N9965P, operated by Tailwheels Etc., was involved in an accident near Sebring, Florida, 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

3 September 2012 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sebring, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)

Coordinates

27.4564, -81.3422

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N9965P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Tailwheels Etc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lakeland → Sebring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA560

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that during a solo flight, just prior to touchdown, he flared the airplane too high above the runway. The airplane touched down hard and bounced; however, the student pilot was able to complete the landing and did not notice any anomalies at that time. He subsequently performed another takeoff and landing uneventfully. At the conclusion of his last flight of the day, the student pilot noticed damage to the airplane. The student pilot added that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the hard landing. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and lower fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.