N5423J – CESSNA 172N – 2014-03-08 NTSB Accident Report

On March 08, 2014, a Cessna 172N (N5423J) was involved in an incident near Charlottesville, VA. 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 landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing and substantial damage to the firewall.

According to the pilot, he established a "crab angle to track" the centerline of the runway and maintained about 70 knots on the final leg of the traffic pattern. He pulled the throttle to idle, began to flare the airplane, and the airplane touched down on the main wheels first. It became airborne again, touched down on the runway, and "bounced" a third time. Then, during the landing roll, the pilot was instructed by the air traffic controller to taxi to the ramp area. As the pilot attempted to maneuver the airplane, he realized that the nose landing gear was "rough" to handle. He notified air traffic control that he was having trouble with the landing gear, and the airplane was towed off the runway. During the accident sequence, the airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA14CA160. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5423J.