Cessna 162 N263VX

Summary

On 5 May 2018 at about 13:30 local time, a Cessna 162 registered N263VX was involved in an accident near Waterloo, Indiana, United States. 2 people were 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

5 May 2018 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Waterloo, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Walker/Rowe Waterloo (4C2)

Coordinates

41.4314, -84.9811

Aircraft

Cessna 162

Registration

N263VX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Muncie → Waterloo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA277

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare during a soft-field landing and his use of an improper soft-field landing procedure, which resulted in a bounced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing on a soft, grass runway, the airplane bounced. He added that, as the airplane settled back to the runway, the nosewheel "hit a soft spot" in the turf, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration's Airplane Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-3A, contained a section titled, "Soft Field Approach and Landing," which stated: Touchdown on a soft or rough field should be made at the lowest possible airspeed with the airplane in a nose-high pitch attitude. In nose-wheel type airplanes, after the main wheels touch the surface, the pilot should hold sufficient back-elevator pressure to keep the nose wheel off the surface. Using back-elevator pressure and engine power, the pilot can control the rate at which the weight of the airplane is transferred from the wings to the wheels.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.