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NYC04CA073

2004-02-12 · Easton, Maryland, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport ESN

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

On February 12, 2004, at 1705 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172N, N734AT, was substantially damaged while landing at the Easton Airport (ESN), Easton, Maryland. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the student pilot, he was conducting supervised solo flights. While landing on runway 22, he "accidentally" struck the runway with the propeller. The airplane was then taxied to the ramp area, and secured. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, who was supervising the solo flights, the airplane appeared to flare too high and began to porpoise. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot was conducting supervised solo flights. While landing, he "accidentally" struck the runway with the propeller. The airplane was then taxied to the ramp area, and secured. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, who was supervising the solo flights, the airplane appeared to flare too high and began to porpoise. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2004_NYC04CA073.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.