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ERA22LA183

2022-04-06 · Waterville, Maine, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport WVL

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s incorrect landing flare, which resulted in a hard bounced landing and nose landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that following performing maneuvers in the local area he returned to the airport to complete touch-and-go landings. He had completed four landings and remained in the pattern for his fifth landing, in which he planned to do a soft field landing. Upon touchdown, the pilot described that a “hard bounce” sent the airplane back into the air. When the airplane touched down again, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The fuselage and rudder sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA183.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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