Cessna 172 N557SP

Summary

On 20 August 2018 at about 19:00 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N557SP, operated by Vermont Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Burlington, Vermont, 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

20 August 2018 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Burlington, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

Burlington Intl (BTV)

Coordinates

44.4725, -73.1528

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N557SP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Vermont Flight Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Burlington → Burlington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA547

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during approach, he was struggling to keep the airspeed at 60 to 70 knots, so he entered a side slip and reduced the power to idle. Once assured the airplane would reach the runway, he aligned the airplane with the runway. The airplane landed on the left main landing gear, bounced, and the student performed a go-around. He entered the left traffic pattern and landed without further incident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 6 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 270° at 6 knots. The airplane landed on runway 33.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.