Cessna 172S N17223

Summary

On 24 December 2013 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna 172S registered N17223, operated by Paragon Flight Training Co., was involved in an accident near Miami, 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

24 December 2013 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Miami, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Opa Locka Executive (OPF)

Coordinates

25.9075, -80.2783

Aircraft

Cessna 172S

Registration

N17223

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Paragon Flight Training Co.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Myers → Miami

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14CA078

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper flare during a gusty, crosswind landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was approaching the runway with 20-degrees flaps. Winds reported about that time were 50 degrees from the right at 9, gusting to 17 knots. The pilot crabbed the airplane into the wind until about 50 feet above the runway, when he straightened the nose with left rudder and right aileron. The pilot then felt a gust of wind under the right wing, and corrected to maintain wings level. The right main landing gear touched down first, followed by a nose landing gear collapse with damage to the engine firewall. The pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.        

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.