Event CEN12CA426

Factual narrative

According to the student pilot, he entered the downwind leg for runway 17L as instructed by the control tower. The airspeed was about 80 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed). When he passed his aiming (touchdown) point, he initiated a descent. The airplane was stabilized on final approach, but when the student pilot went to land, he flared too late, resulting in a hard landing. The student pilot turned onto the taxiway to do an after-landing checklist and discovered the nose wheel tire was deflated. A postaccident examination revealed that the firewall and floorboard panels were wrinkled. The student pilot reported no preaccident anomalies or failures that would have prevented normal operation. According to the student pilot, he entered the downwind leg for the runway as instructed by the tower controller. The airplane was stabilized on final approach, but the student pilot initiated the landing flare too late, resulting in a hard landing. As he turned onto the taxiway to complete the after-landing checklist, he discovered that the nosewheel tire had deflated. A postaccident examination revealed that the firewall and floorboard panels were wrinkled. The student pilot reported no preaccident anomalies or failures that would have prevented normal operation of the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Student pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C