Cessna 172H N1431F

Summary

On 20 October 2012 at about 16:30 local time, a Cessna 172H registered N1431F, operated by Valley Aircraft Leasing, was involved in an accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia, 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

20 October 2012 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Weyers Cave, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Shenandoah Valley (SHD)

Coordinates

38.2636, -78.8964

Aircraft

Cessna 172H

Registration

N1431F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Valley Aircraft Leasing

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Weyers Cave → Weyers Cave

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA038

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper landing 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 after completing her first solo cross-country flight she landed without incident. She then elected to practice takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. During the subsequent landing, the airplane touched down hard and bounced before coming to rest on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and skin deformation just forward of the pilot’s side door. The student pilot reported that she did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.