St Charles, MO, USA
N4775D
Cessna 172N
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted the runway during landing. The pilot reported that he entered a right downwind for runway 27. Upon turning final, he realized that the airplane was high. He corrected by increasing the flap setting to 30 degrees and reducing power in order to descend "a little quicker." He stated, "As I came over the threshold, I realized I was coming down too fast, but still felt I was OK. In the last seconds, I realized I was in trouble. The force with which we hit the runway was much harder than I expected." The airplane bounced upon contact with the runway. The pilot noted, "I thought it would bounce and then settle down. When it porpoised, I failed to take action to correct it, resulting in the wreck."
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted the runway during landing. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot reported that he was returning from a local flight when the accident occurred. He noted that the winds were calm. The pilot reported that he entered a right downwind for runway 27. Upon turning final, he realized that the airplane was high. He corrected by increasing the flap setting to 30 degrees and reducing power in order to descend "a little quicker." He stated, "As I came over the threshold, I realized I was coming down too fast, but still felt I was OK. In the last seconds, I realized I was in trouble. The force with which we hit the runway was much harder than I expected." The pilot stated that the airplane bounced upon contact with the runway. He noted, "I thought it would bounce and then settle down. When it porpoised, I failed to take action to correct it, resulting in the wreck." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures associated with the aircraft prior to the accident. The post accident examination revealed that the nose landing gear had collapsed and the firewall was damaged.
The pilot's failure to properly judge the landing flare and his inadequate recovery from the resulting bounced landing. A contributing factor was the inadvertent pilot induced oscillation (porpoise) after initial runway contact.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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