Concord, NC, USA
N52546
Cessna 172P
The pilot initiated the landing flare at idle or very low power, and the airplane bounced about four times. Each bounce was higher and more pronounced than the previous one. The pilot stated that he thought the bounces would stop, and he concentrated on keeping the airplane as straight as possible on the runway. After the third or fourth bounce, the nosewheel tire blew, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane came to a stop in the center of the runway, and the pilot shut down the engine. The pilot stated that, after the accident, he flew with a flight instructor and learned what a porpoise condition is, how to recognize it, and how to recover the airplane from it.
On March 8, 2003, at 2015 eastern standard time, a Cessna 172P, N52546, registered to ISO Aero Service, Inc., and operated by the private pilot, collided with the runway during a bounced landing at Concord Regional Airport in Concord, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with a visual flight rules plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local flight originated in Concord, North Carolina, about 1915. The pilot was cleared to land on runway 20 at Concord Regional Airport in Concord, North Carolina. The pilot stated the approach was normal and on glideslope at 65 knots with 20 degrees of flaps. He stated he performed the landing flare at idle or very low power, and the airplane bounced. The pilot stated that, after the second bounce, "the characteristic of the plane seemed to change with the bounces becoming higher and more pronounced than the previous ones." The pilot stated he thought the bounces would stop, and he concentrated on keeping the airplane as straight as possible on the runway. After the third or fourth bounce, the nosewheel tire blew, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane came to a stop in the center of the runway, and the pilot shut down the engine. Examination of the airplane revealed buckling of the right side of the fuselage near the main landing gear strut, buckling of the firewall near the lower right engine mount, buckling of the floor, damage to the nose gear, and damage to both propeller blade tips. The pilot stated that, after the accident, he flew with a flight instructor and learned what a porpoise condition is, how to recognize it, and how to recover the airplane from it.
The pilot's improper flare during touchdown and failure to properly recover from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of control and inflight collision with the runway. A factor was the pilot did not understand the porpoise condition during landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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