Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / GAA15CA248

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event GAA15CA248

2015-08-16 Los Angeles, California, United States Airport · WHP None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N13HK

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 177B

Year of manufacture

1972 · 43 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19721031

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A07991

Registrant of record

SKYCOMBERS FLYING CLUB INC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane porpoised three times on the second landing, and bounced once on the third and final landing. He reported that while taxing to the fuel pump, he noticed that he had a "flat tire" on the nose wheel. During a postaccident examination of the engine and airframe, substantial damage to the firewall was discovered. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the airplane porpoised three times on the second landing, and bounced once on the third and final landing. He reported that while taxing to the fuel pump, he noticed that he had a "flat tire" on the nose wheel. During a postaccident examination of the engine and airframe, substantial damage to the firewall was discovered. The pilot reported there were 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

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-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_GAA15CA248.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.