NTSB GAA15CA179 — 2015-06-06 · Addison, Texas, United States

Current FAA registration · N178AF

Make / Model: CESSNA 172R
Year of manufacture: 2003 · 12 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING IO-360-L2A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20030624
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A136EB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N178AF Cessna 172R None

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing touchdown, resulting in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that during the first landing touchdown, the airplane porpoised, and she elected to abort the landing. She reported that during the second landing touchdown at a different airport, the airplane "started to bounce very hard." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall and to the floor panels underneath the rudder pedals. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that during the first landing touchdown, the airplane porpoised, and she elected to abort the landing. She reported that during the second landing touchdown at a different airport, the airplane "started to bounce very hard." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall and to the floor panels underneath the rudder pedals. The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA179.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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