N448ER

On July 21, 2001, at 1530 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172R, N448ER, registered to BCC Equipment Leasing Corp. and operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, impacted the ground during a bounced landing at Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, Ormond Beach, Florida. The instructional (solo) flight was conducted by the student pilot under provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The student pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damaged. The flight originated from Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, Ormond Beach, Florida, at 1515.

According to the student pilot, she and a certified flight instructor (CFI) had flown to a nearby airport to practice touch-and-go landings. After five trips in the traffic pattern, the student taxied the airplane to the ramp, and the instructor got out of the airplane. After a short briefing, the student taxied back to the runway alone for her first solo flight. The CFI observed the flight from approximately100-150 yards. The student pilot performed two satisfactory landings, but on the third attempted landing, the airplane bounced several times. On the last bounce, the propeller blades struck the ground.

Examination of the airplane revealed damage to the propeller, as well as the nose gear and engine compartment firewall. Official weather data at the time of the accident reported winds from 060 at 9 knots. The CFI reported weather as visual meteorological conditions, with a wind at five knots, straight down runway 08. The student reported a wind from the left, followed by a horizontal wind shift into a crosswind from the right. According to the student pilot, she overcompensated for the change in wind direction, distracting her from the landing and resulting in a late flare. The student cited "inexperience" as a factor in her hard landing. The student pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane.