Summary
On March 04, 2012, a Cessna 172S (N53460) was involved in an incident near Lafayette, TN. 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 pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting crosswind conditions during landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
The pilot stated he was conducting touch and go landings. The surface winds, located 31 miles from the accident site were 270 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 20 knots. The pilot made an approach to runway 01. He estimated the winds at “270 degrees, at 13 miles gusting to 25 miles”. As the main landing gear touched down, a gust of wind lifted the airplane back into the air, about 8 feet above ground level. The airplane collided hard with the runway on the nose and main landing gear before the pilot could add power. The pilot returned to his departure airport without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed it had sustained damage to the propeller and engine firewall.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA209. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N53460.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting crosswind conditions during landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot stated he was conducting touch and go landings. The surface winds, located 31 miles from the accident site were 270 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 20 knots. The pilot made an approach to runway 01. He estimated the winds at “270 degrees, at 13 miles gusting to 25 miles”. As the main landing gear touched down, a gust of wind lifted the airplane back into the air, about 8 feet above ground level. The airplane collided hard with the runway on the nose and main landing gear before the pilot could add power. The pilot returned to his departure airport without further incident. Examination of the airplane revealed it had sustained damage to the propeller and engine firewall. The pilot reported no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA12CA209