Cessna 172R N828BM

Summary

On 3 February 2014 at about 14:53 local time, a Cessna 172R registered N828BM, operated by Christiansen Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, 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 February 2014 at 14:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Pierce, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

St Lucie County International (FPR)

Coordinates

27.5009, -80.3609

Aircraft

Cessna 172R

Registration

N828BM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Christiansen Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Fort Pierce

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14CA121

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

According to the student pilot, this was his first solo flight and he was conducting touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. On the third landing, he flared the airplane high; it landed hard and bounced back into the air. He then pitched the nose of the airplane up and the tail section struck the runway prior to landing. The student pilot taxied the airplane off of the active runway and brought it to a full stop. A visual examination revealed minor damage to the exterior of the airplane. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was examined by maintenance personnel for further damage and released back into service. The airplane was used during another flight, and flight controls were noted as difficult to manipulate.  The airplane was returned for further examination and during the second examination, substantial damage was noted to the firewall from the first event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.