Cessna 172P N52188

Summary

On 25 April 1998 at about 22:15 local time, a Cessna 172P registered N52188 was involved in an accident near La Porte, Texas, 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

25 April 1998 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

La Porte, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Laporte Municipal (T41)

Coordinates

29.6595, -95.0404

Aircraft

Cessna 172P

Registration

N52188

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA240

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's premature landing flare and improper recovery procedures from a bounced landing. A factor was the gusty winds.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had rented the airplane for the purpose of maintaining his flying proficiency. The pilot and his passenger planned on staying in the closed traffic pattern to perform touch-and-go landings. The pilot reported that he had completed four touch-and-go landings on runway 12 without incident. On the fifth landing, which the pilot intended to be a full stop landing, 'he flared too high and the airplane bounced following a firm landing.' During the recovery from the bounced landing, the airplane porpoised twice and touched down hard on the nose landing gear resulting in a blown nose gear tire. Suspecting damage to the nose landing gear, the pilot stated that he added power to abort the landing and come back for another attempt. The pilot successfully used the soft field landing technique on his subsequent landing. The winds at the time of the accident were reported from 140 degrees at 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.