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ERA14CA452

2014-09-14 · Naples, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport APF

Current FAA registration · N21670

Make / Model
CESSNA 172S
Year of manufacture
2004 · 10 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20041007
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1D332

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land due to the deteriorating weather conditions.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot was returning to her home airport, and was on a straight-in approach to the 6,600-foot runway. At the time of the landing clearance, the tower controller reported that the weather conditions were "deteriorating rapidly" to instrument meteorological conditions, but the pilot reported the runway was in sight during the entire approach. She said she completed the approach in accordance with traffic pattern altitudes and speed, and set the flaps to 20 degrees prior to touchdown. During the landing, the airplane touched down "hard" on the main and nose landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.. The solo student pilot was returning to her home airport, and was on a straight-in approach to the 6,600-foot runway. At the time of the landing clearance, the tower controller reported that the weather conditions were "deteriorating rapidly" to instrument meteorological conditions, but the pilot reported the runway was in sight during the entire approach. She said she completed the approach in accordance with traffic pattern altitudes and speed, and set the flaps to 20 degrees prior to touchdown. During the landing, the airplane touched down "hard" on the main and nose landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. 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-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • F Personnel issues-Psychological-Mental/emotional state-Stress-Pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_ERA14CA452.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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