Pilot Debrief

Cessna 172 near La Grange, TX — 2019-09-02

Final reportCEN19LA302
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Date
2019-09-02
Location
La Grange, TX, USA
Airport
3T5
Aircraft
Cessna 172
Registration
N212BS
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight. Upon arriving at the destination airport, he overflew the runway to determine the wind direction from the windsock then performed a normal approach. He stated that, during the landing flare, a gust of wind came from the right side and lifted the airplane. The airplane then landed hard, bounced once, then came to a stop, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and a collapsed nose landing gear. Review of the wind conditions revealed a light right crosswind around the time of the accident. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with an improper flare and hard landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing due to unexpected wind gusts.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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