Westfield, MA, USA
N5425K
Cessna 172P
During the student pilot's first solo landing, as the airplane neared the runway, it climbed slightly and dropped "very fast" back to the runway surface. The airplane touched down hard on the runway, collapsing the landing gear assembly and buckling the firewall. The airplane veered left and came to rest in a grass field. The student pilot did not report any malfunctions with the airplane.
On April 9, 2004, at 1110 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N5425K, was substantially damaged while landing at the Barnes Municipal Airport (BAF), Westfield, Massachusetts. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the student pilot, the accident flight was her first solo flight. After completing one circuit in the traffic pattern, the student pilot returned to land on runway 02, a 9,000-foot long, 150-foot wide asphalt runway. As the airplane neared the runway, it climbed slightly and dropped "very fast" back to the runway surface. The airplane touched down hard on the runway, collapsing the landing gear assembly and buckling the firewall. The airplane veered left and came to rest in a grass field. The student pilot did not report any malfunctions with the airplane. The wind conditions about the time of the accident were from 360 degrees at 8 knots.
The student pilot's improper flare and his failure to maintain aircraft control while landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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