At 1150 Eastern time, the Skyhawk was substantially damaged when the nose gear collapsed during a landing attempt. Visual conditions prevailed for the solo instructional flight; the student pilot was not injured. The pilot later reported crossing the runway threshold approximately 100 feet above ground level and then reducing engine power to idle. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down with a mild impact, followed by a bounce. The pilot continued to flare, with no additional engine power, and the second touchdown was harder than the first. No additional corrective action was attempted for the third touchdown, which broke the nosewheel. The prop hit the pavement and the plane came to stop.
June 26, 2004, Fishers, Ind. / Cessna 172
At 1150 Eastern time, the Skyhawk was substantially damaged when the nose gear collapsed during a landing attempt. Visual conditions prevailed for the solo instructional flight; the student pilot was not injured. The pilot later reported crossing the runway threshold approximately 100 feet above ground level and then reducing engine power to idle. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down with a mild impact, followed by a bounce. The pilot continued to flare, with no additional engine power, and the second touchdown was harder than the first. No additional corrective action was attempted for the third touchdown, which broke the nosewheel. The prop hit the pavement and the plane...
Key Takeaways:
- A Skyhawk sustained substantial damage, including a collapsed nose gear and prop strike, during a student pilot's solo landing attempt.
- The incident occurred after the pilot crossed the runway threshold at 100 feet above ground level and reduced power to idle.
- A subsequent bounced landing was mishandled by not applying additional engine power, leading to progressively harder touchdowns that ultimately broke the nosewheel.
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