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ERA20CA250

2020-07-09 · Auburn, Maine, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LEW

Current FAA registration · N722SA

Make / Model
CESSNA 172R
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER A&C (200 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19970410
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A9AC8B

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 on the nosegear and nosegear collapse.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane floated, and she believed that she intuitively released back pressure to get the airplane to land. Subsequently, the nose landing gear impacted the runway first and collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane floated, and she believed that she intuitively released back pressure to get the airplane to land. Subsequently, the nose landing gear impacted the runway first and collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. The student pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA20CA250.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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