N909HC – CESSNA 172N – 2015-09-16 NTSB Accident Report

On September 16, 2015, a Cessna 172N (N909HC) was involved in an incident near Herington, KS. 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 failure to maintain pitch control during the landing roll, which resulted in a porpoise.

The pilot reported that during the landing roll, "all of a sudden the plane started ballooning up from a strong gust of wind, I lowered the nose of the airplane slightly as to avoid a stall." He reported that, "I was then forced back to the ground violently and once again ballooned up" and that the airplane, "ballooned up and was forced down 5 times." Once the porpoising ceased, the pilot taxied off the runway without further incident. A post flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage, the firewall, and the floor boards underneath the rudder pedals.

The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA15CA274. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N909HC.