Cessna 182P N52630

Summary

On 13 March 2010 at about 00:45 local time, a Cessna 182P registered N52630, operated by N52630, LLC, was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, 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

13 March 2010 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Long Beach, California, United States

Nearest airport

Long Beach (LGB)

Coordinates

33.8178, -118.1517

Aircraft

Cessna 182P

Registration

N52630

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

N52630, LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Long Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA159

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper landing flare, resulting in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was the student pilot’s first supervised solo flight. The takeoff, crosswind, and downwind legs of the flight appeared to be normal and well controlled. The approach seemed normal with an attitude appropriate for landing. The student turned into the final leg with the flaps set to 30 degrees and with the airspeed at 85 knots. He felt that he was a little high, so he set the flaps to 40 degrees. He adjusted power and attitude to maintain airspeed. He thought that the approach was stabilized and he shifted his gaze forward and reduced power as he passed over the runway end. He thought that he leveled a little high, and landed flat. The airplane bounced hard enough to dislodge his glasses. He raised the nose, the airplane bounced again, and then landed nose-down on the runway. The student's instructor was observing the landing and thought that the flare was a little high, with the airplane touching down main-wheels-first, with the nose slightly up. The nosewheel then quickly hit the ground and the airplane bounced 2 to 3 feet. The airplane touched down again in a flat or slightly nose down attitude and bounced again. It came down in about a 20-degree nose-low attitude on the third and final touchdown and the propeller hit first. The nosewheel and strut folded backwards under the cowling and the firewall buckled. The airplane came to rest with the tail up and the engine stopped.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.