Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's improper landing flare resulting in a hard landing. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On October 17, 2004, at 1858 central daylight time, a Cessna 177, N29459, registered to and operated by a private owner, collided with the runway during an attempted landing at Auburn Airport, Alabama. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot was uninjured. The flight departed Columbia Airport, Columbia, South Carolina, on October 17, 2004 at 1500.
According to the pilot, while on short final to land on runway 36, he reach up to adjust his eyeglasses and one of the lenses fell out of the frame. The pilot reported that this event distracted him, and he "hit on the nosewheel" and collapsed the nose gear. Examination of the nose gear revealed the nose wheel broke away from the strut. The nose gear assembly was bent aft and the firewall as buckled. The pilot did not report any mechanical or flight control anomalies prior to the accident.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ATL05CA006