NYC95LA200

Factual narrative

On August 20, 1995, at 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N8885V, was destroyed during an attempted landing at the Hopedale Industrial Park Airport (1B6), Hopedale, Massachusetts. The student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, for the solo flight that originated at 1B6, at 1725. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the student pilot (SP) stated that he departed 1B6 for his first solo flight. He then flew a standard pattern, and turned final to runway 36. The SP further stated: As I began my flare for touchdown, the plane hit the runway on the main gear and caused a high bounce, then came back down and hit the nose gear, causing a porpoise-like motion. I increased power momentarily, to try to regain control, but the plane nosed very hard into the runway and began veering to the left. I then tried to increase power in an attempt to get back on the runway in order to avoid hitting the fence and the building...I struck the building at about 50 MPH. A review of the SP's logbook revealed that he had accumulated a total of 18.4 hours of dual flight instruction, in this make and model, prior to the flight. The SP's Certificate was endorsed for solo flight the day of the accident, after an .8 hour flight with his instructor. During the student pilot's first solo landing, he flared high and landed hard. The airplane continued to bounce, and the student applied power to regain control. The airplane then veered off of the runway and collided with a fence and a building. The student had accumulated a total of 18.4 hours of dual flight instruction, all in this make and model. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12