Event GAA18CA464

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, he flared high, and the airplane landed hard. He added that the airplane "dipped", and he felt the nose wheel wobble. He then turned off the engine and "steered to the grass" off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was from 110° at 6 knots. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 23 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 100° at 9 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35R. The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, he flared the airplane high, and it then landed hard. He added that the airplane "dipped," and he felt the nosewheel wobble. He then turned off the engine and "steered to the grass" off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student reported that the wind was from 110° at 6 knots. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 23 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 100° at 9 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35R. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation