Skip to content

WPR13CA375

2013-08-10 · Prescott, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PRC

N544ER has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA 172S, built 2025), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that following a series of practice takeoff and landings, she noticed that the wind was increasing and decided to land. During the landing she did not flare enough, and the airplane touched down just prior to when she thought it would. The hard landing resulted in structural damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that following a series of practice takeoff and landings, she noticed that the wind was increasing and decided to land. During the landing she did not flare enough, and the airplane touched down just prior to when she thought it would. The hard landing resulted in structural damage to the engine firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA375.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.