GAA16CA404

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after a hard landing the airplane began to porpoise and he decided to abort the landing. The pilot reported that during the aborted landing, he added power and as the airplane began to climb, he retracted the flaps too soon and too quickly and the airplane settled back onto the runway, landed hard again, veered off the runway to the right, collapsed the nose gear, and stopped in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The procedures for a balked landing, as provided by Cessna, state: 1. Power – Full throttle and 2700 RPM 2. Carburetor Heat – Cold 3. Wing Flaps – Retract to 20 degrees 4. Upon reaching an airspeed of approximately 75 MPH, retract flaps slowly The pilot reported as a safety recommendation to wait longer for the aircraft to further stabilize, gain speed, and begin climbing before retracting flaps. The pilot reported that after a hard landing the airplane began to porpoise and he decided to abort the landing. The pilot reported that during the aborted landing, he added power and as the airplane began to climb, he retracted the flaps too soon and too quickly and the airplane settled back onto the runway, landed hard again, veered off the runway to the right, collapsed the nose gear, and stopped in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The procedures for a balked landing, as provided by Cessna, state: 1. Power – Full throttle and 2700 RPM 2. Carburetor Heat – Cold 3. Wing Flaps – Retract to 20 degrees 4. Upon reaching an airspeed of approximately 75 MPH, retract flaps slowly   The pilot reported as a safety recommendation to wait longer for the aircraft to further stabilize, gain speed, and begin climbing before retracting flaps. 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-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C