Cessna 172 N78242

Summary

On 14 August 2016 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N78242 was involved in an accident near Fulton, 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

14 August 2016 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fulton, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Elton Hensley Memorial (FTT)

Coordinates

38.8406, -92.0025

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N78242

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boonville → Fulton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA473

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the airplane porpoising.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the initial touchdown he "got a bad bounce." On the third bounce the nose wheel "gave way and the propeller impacted the ground." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration has published the Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3B (2016). This handbook discusses porpoising and states in part: In a bounced landing that is improperly recovered, the airplane comes in nose first initiating a series of motions that imitate the jumps and dives of a porpoise. The problem is improper airplane attitude at touchdown, sometimes caused by inattention, not knowing where the ground is, miss-trimming 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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.