NTSB ERA21LA032 — 2020-10-13 · Williston, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N6158G

Make / Model: CESSNA 172N
Year of manufacture: 1979 · 41 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19791128
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A804C8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N6158G Cessna 172N None

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing the airplane. With the airplane lined up on the centerline and in a controlled descent, he initiated the flare and pulled the nose up. The airplane impacted the runway and bounced, then bounced a second time before settling onto the runway. He then taxied to parking. After exiting the airplane, he noticed damage to the propeller. Further inspection revealed substantial damage to the lower structure of the fuselage and firewall. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA21LA032.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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