N544SP – CESSNA 172S – 2016-08-09 NTSB Accident Report

On August 09, 2016, a Cessna 172S (N544SP) was involved in an incident near Arlington, TX. 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 recovery from a bounced landing.

During a full-stop landing to the 100 foot wide paved runway the airplane hit "very hard and bounced to a very high level". The student pilot did not execute a go-around and reported that on the second touchdown "he tried to hold it off again", but the operating propeller struck the runway surface and the airplane bounced a second time. On the third touchdown the nose gear collapsed, directional control was lost, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway. After digging into the grass the nose gear completely separated resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and the forward fuselage. The student pilot and the operator reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN16CA319. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N544SP.