LONG BEACH, CA, USA
N8761U
Cessna 172F
The pilot entered the landing pattern under night conditions and everything was normal until he flared for touchdown. He believed he had flared high and added power to help control the descent rate. He then reduced power. The nose dropped and the propeller, nose gear, left main landing gear, and left wing tip struck the pavement almost simultaneously. The aircraft bounced and struck the ground with the right wing tip before coming to rest on the runway.
On September 20, 1998, at 2130 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172F, N8761U, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at Long Beach, California. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The local flight was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and his wife departed Fullerton, California, and stopped in Torrance, California, to pickup a passenger. No flight plan was filed. After departing Torrance and flying over the Long Beach harbor area, the pilot decided to land at Long Beach airport. The pilot stated he flared high; the airplane slowed so he added power to help control his descent. He then reduced power and the nose dropped. The propeller, nose wheel, left main landing gear, and left wing tip struck the ground simultaneously. The airplane bounced and the right wing struck the ground. Both propeller blades were bent, the firewall was buckled, the nose and left wheel pants were damaged, and the fuselage was buckled aft of the cowling. Both wing tips were scraped and skin panels on both wings were wrinkled. The right aileron and left horizontal stabilizer were also damaged.
The pilot's misjudging the flare point and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard landing. A contributing factor was the dark night conditions.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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