N373CA

Substantial
None

PIPER PA-28-161S/N: 2841014

Accident Details

Date
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
NTSB Number
ERA12CA407
Location
Lake Wales, FL
Event ID
20120621X82706
Coordinates
27.889444, -81.618888
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
None
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
2
Total Aboard
2

Probable Cause and Findings

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot’s power management, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's premature power reduction during the landing flare.

Aircraft Information

Registration
Make
PIPER
Serial Number
2841014
Engine Type
Reciprocating
Year Built
1988
Model / ICAO
PA-28-161P28A
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Single Engine
No. of Engines
1
Seats
4
FAA Model
PA-28-161

Registered Owner (Current)

Name
COCO AIRCRAFT INC
Address
900 AIRPORT RD
City
MERRITT ISLAND
State / Zip Code
FL 32952-3742
Country
United States

Analysis

According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), he was conducting a training flight with the student pilot on short field landings. During last short field landing, as the airplane flew over the runway numbers, the airplane dropped and landed hard. According to the student pilot, he recalled that the airplane was at 55 knots during short final. As the airplane began to descend, he attempted a go-around, but did not advance the throttle quickly enough and the airplane landed hard on the runway. During the examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, it was revealed that the firewall was buckled. The CFI and student pilot did not report any flight control malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA12CA407