Cessna 172 N19820

Summary

On 21 June 2016 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N19820, operated by Sundowner Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Ohio, 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

21 June 2016 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Fairfield County (LHQ)

Coordinates

39.7556, -82.6572

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N19820

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Sundowner Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lancaster → Lancaster

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA361

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper landing flare in gusting wind conditions, 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 the purpose of the flight was to practice flight maneuvers. He recalled that upon conclusion of the maneuver practice, he made a normal approach to runway 28. He reported that during the landing flare he encountered a crosswind gust, the airplane floated, and the airplane landed hard. He recalled that after the hard landing, he was unsatisfied with his landing performance. The student pilot reported that he decided to takeoff, stayed in the pattern, landed with full flaps and more airspeed, and accomplished "a controlled, more smooth touchdown." However, when he showed up for his next flight three days later, he was informed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane during his flight that would have prevented normal flight operations. The meteorological aerodrome report at the accident airport about the time of the accident indicated the wind direction was out of 270 degrees true at 9 knots, gusting to 19 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.