N7952A – CESSNA 172K – 2011-11-28 NTSB Accident Report

On November 28, 2011, a Cessna 172K (N7952A) was involved in an incident near Napa, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student pilot's improper landing flare, inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and loss of directional control.

The student pilot stated that this was his fourth solo flight and he had accumulated about 2 hours of solo flying. He flew to a nearby airport for touch-and-go landing practice and was planning a standard rectangular pattern. As he approached the airfield, an air traffic control tower operator instructed him to land straight in. This was the student pilot’s first attempt at a straight-in landing and he had difficulty stabilizing the airplane’s flight path before touchdown. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane rolled into muddy terrain, bending the nose wheel landing gear mounting structure and the engine firewall.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR12CA049. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7952A.