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Atlas / NTSB / WPR15CA068

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR15CA068

2014-11-15 Santa Rosa, California, United States Airport · STS None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N5216N

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA AIRCRAFT CO 162

Year of manufacture

2011 · 3 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR O-200 (100 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20110329

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A68FDC

Registrant of record

SKYCATCHER N162AH LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's improper flare which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent nose gear collapse.

Factual narrative

During an initial solo flight, the student pilot was conducting a series of three takeoff and landings. During the second landing, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and landed on the nose wheel landing gear, which resulted in the nose gear collapsing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose wheel landing gear was compressed upward and aft into the firewall and fuselage structure. The student pilot reported that at the time of the accident, no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures existed that would of precluded normal operation of the airplane. During an initial solo flight, the student pilot was conducting a series of three takeoff and landings. During the second landing, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and landed on the nose wheel landing gear, which resulted in the nose gear collapsing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose wheel landing gear was compressed upward and aft into the firewall and fuselage structure. The student pilot reported that at the time of the accident, no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures existed that would of precluded normal operation of the airplane. 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_WPR15CA068.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.