Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the pilot misjudged the flare, resulting in a hard, bounced landing and impact with the runway. A factor in this accident was an improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On May 23, 1995, about 2045 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 177B, N621PW, was substantially damaged during the landing at the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport (ABE), Allentown, Pennsylvania. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight had departed the Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport at 2025, and was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, that he touched down on runway 24 on the main wheels first. He then stated:
...the aircraft touched then ballooned (porpoised) back up into the air and came back down on the nose wheel settling on the runway. I contacted the tower and requested to taxi to a hanger to check the airplane damage after the hard landing...after taxiing to the hanger I discovered the damage....
Runway 24 at ABE Airport was 7,600 feet long and 150 feet wide. According to the pilot, the winds at the time of the accident were from 190 degrees at 9 knots, and no gusts.
At the time of the accident, the pilot's total flight time was 209.0 hours, of which 123.4 hours were in this make and model airplane. The pilot wrote on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, that he had 101 hours in this make and model airplane.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC95LA120