N2746C

On August 1, 1999, about 1110 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172R, N2746C, was substantially damaged while landing at the Delaware Airport (33N), Cheswold, Delaware. The certificated private pilot and the passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight that originated at the Brandywine Airport (N99), West Chester, Pennsylvania, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The pilot stated that while landing at 33N, the first approach to land on Runway 27, a 3,715-foot long asphalt runway, was high, and a go-around was performed. The second attempt to land on Runway 27 was long, and the airplane floated about halfway down the runway, before touching down hard. The airplane then bounced into the air, and settled back to the ground, touching down hard a second time. The airplane bounced several more times, until the pilot added full power, and executed a go-around. The pilot climbed the airplane to about 3,000 feet above the ground, and returned to N99. The pilot did not notice any vibrations during the return flight, and the airplane performed normally, except for a slightly slower airspeed.

Examination of the airplane at N99 by a Federal Aviation Inspector revealed damage to the main gear, the main cabin floorboards, buckling of the firewall, and 2-inch rearward curling of the propeller blades.

The winds reported at an airport located 5 miles to the southeast, at 1045 were, 300 degrees at 8 knots.