Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 172N near Plymouth, MA — 2011-08-31

Final reportERA11LA489
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Date
2011-08-31
Location
Plymouth, MA, USA
Airport
PYM
Aircraft
CESSNA 172N
Registration
N739RU
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the intent of the flight was to perform practice takeoffs and landings. During the first takeoff roll, she noticed that the control column required forward pressure to prevent the airplane from prematurely rotating. The pilot further reported that she was not concerned about the controllability of the airplane, elected not to abort the takeoff, and continued around the traffic pattern. During the landing flare, she was unable to pull back on the control column, and the airplane bounced several times. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any discrepancies that would have interfered with movement of the control column or operation of the elevator and elevator trim controls. Additionally, the operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal flight operations of the airplane. It is likely that the pilot did not arrest the airplane’s descent rate, resulting in a bounced landing, and then allowed the airplane to porpoise.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff due to control issues during the roll.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

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