Cessna 172N N733NQ

Summary

On 14 July 2002 at about 16:40 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N733NQ was involved in an accident near Middletown, Rhode Island, 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

14 July 2002 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Middletown, Rhode Island, United States

Nearest airport

Newport State Airport (UUU)

Coordinates

41.5328, -71.2817

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N733NQ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Warwick → Middletown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA145

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper flare. A factor was the shifting wind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was lined up with the centerline of runway 22, and "the numbers" were in the center of the pilot's windscreen. The pilot's "approach profile" was "normal", and the VASI lights were red over white. The pilot lowered the flaps to 30 degrees, and "headed for the numbers." He noticed wind gusts as he approached the runway. As the airplane passed over the numbers, the pilot reduced engine power to idle, and began to level off. The airplane was 5-6 feet above the runway, when the pilot felt it begin to sink. He applied back pressure to the yoke, and the airplane's nose pitched up higher than normal, which the pilot attributed to a gust of wind. The pilot released back pressure in an attempt to level the airplane, but was "now too slow and the nose sank, causing the nose wheel to hit the ground very hard and the aircraft bounced back up." The pilot maintained the engine power at idle, and the airplane bounced once more before finally landing. Winds were from 210 degrees true, variable 160 to 320 degrees true, at 7 knots. The pilot had logged 97 hours of total flight time, with 15 hours in make and model, and 1.7 hours in the previous 90 days.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.