NTSB WPR12CA345 — 2012-07-25 · Ashland, Oregon, United States

Current FAA registration · N738AJ

Make / Model: CESSNA 172N
Year of manufacture: 1977 · 35 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19771109
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A9E8CC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N738AJ Cessna 172N None

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The student pilot said that she was practicing short-field landings. On her third landing, she flared too early and landed hard. The airplane bounced and porpoised, which bent and wrinkled the lower half of the firewall. The student pilot said that she was practicing short-field landings. On her third landing, she flared too early and landed hard. The airplane bounced and porpoised, which bent and wrinkled the lower half of the firewall. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Student pilot - C
C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_WPR12CA345.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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