Cessna 172 N128RM

Summary

On 18 July 2016 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N128RM, operated by T&C Aviation, was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, 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

18 July 2016 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesterfield, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Spirit of St Louis (SUS)

Coordinates

38.6603, -90.6458

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N128RM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

T&C Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesterfield → Chesterfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA386

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's improper pitch control during the landing flare, which resulted in a porpoise and substantial damage to the firewall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that on the second landing during her first solo flight, the airplane porpoised. On the second bounce the nose wheel impacted first, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot reported that she taxied the airplane to the tie down area without further incident. According to the student pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration has published the Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3A (2004). This handbook discusses porpoising and states in part: In a bounced landing that is improperly recovered, the airplane comes in nose first setting off a series of motions that imitate the jumps and dives of a porpoise—hence the name. The problem is improper airplane attitude at touchdown, sometimes caused by inattention, not knowing where the ground is, mistrimming or forcing the airplane onto the runway. Ground effect decreases elevator control effectiveness and increases the effort required to raise the nose. Not enough elevator or stabilator trim can result in a nose low contact with the runway and a porpoise develops. Porpoising can also be caused by improper airspeed control. Usually, if an approach is too fast, the airplane floats and the pilot tries to force it on the runway when the airplane still wants to fly. A gust of wind, a bump in the runway, or even a slight tug on the control wheel will send the air plane aloft again. The corrective action for a porpoise is the same as for a bounce and similarly depends on its severity. When it is very slight and there is no extreme change in the airplane's pitch attitude, a follow-up landing may be executed by applying sufficient power to cushion the subsequent touchdown, and smoothly adjusting the pitch to the proper touchdown attitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.