Skip to content

ERA11CA241

2011-04-12 · Ft Pierce, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KFPR

Current FAA registration · N702GR

Make / Model
CESSNA 172R
Year of manufacture
1998 · 13 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19980629
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A95CA2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's inadequate flare which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The student pilot was on a solo cross country flight with the intention of landing at two different local airports before returning to the flight academy base. While landing at her first planned stop, the airplane porpoised twice after touchdown. The student pilot stated that her airspeed was low on final and that she did not flare. After the full stop landing, she taxied back to the runway and took off again to fly to her next planned stop. After she landed the airplane at her second stop, the flight academy sent two flight instructors to recover the airplane and student. While conducting a preflight of the airplane to return to the academy, the instructors discovered substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot was on a solo cross country flight with the intention of landing at two different local airports before returning to the flight academy base. While landing at her first planned stop, the airplane porpoised twice after touchdown. The student pilot stated that her airspeed was low on final approach and that she did not flare. After the full stop landing, she taxied back to the runway and took off again to fly to her next planned stop. After she landed the airplane at her second stop, the flight academy sent two flight instructors to recover the airplane and student. While conducting a preflight of the airplane to return to the academy, the instructors discovered substantial damage to the firewall. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ERA11CA241.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type. All research papers