Cessna 172K N78794

Summary

On 15 June 2012 at about 01:15 local time, a Cessna 172K registered N78794 was involved in an accident near Tupelo, Mississippi, 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

15 June 2012 at 01:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Tupelo, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP)

Coordinates

34.2681, -88.7697

Aircraft

Cessna 172K

Registration

N78794

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olive Branch → Tupelo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA404

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he arrived at the airport late in the day but still under daylight conditions, and the runway lights were illuminated. On approach, the wind was calm. The pilot maintained his target approach airspeed with 30 degrees of flaps. Once over the runway, the airplane floated about 1,000 feet. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice with the pilot maintaining the same yoke position. After the second bounce, the pilot thought about adding power, but events were occurring too rapidly. The airplane then touched down hard, the nose landing gear separated from the airframe, and the airplane slid to a stop, sustaining substantial damage to the firewall. Neither the pilot nor the passenger reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.