N4491R – CESSNA 172 – 2017-12-21 NTSB Accident Report

On December 21, 2017, a Cessna 172 (N4491R) was involved in an incident near Monroe, MI. All 2 people 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 yaw control during the landing flare and the flight instructor’s failure to take remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.

The flight instructor reported that, the student pilot began to flare for a touch-and-go landing, when a wind gust yawed the airplane to the left. He added that the wind "dropped out", and the airplane landed hard with the nose low, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 140° at 6 knots. The flight instructor reported that the wind was variable at 10 knots, gusting 20 knots.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA097. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4491R.