On December 21, 1999, a Cessna 172N (registration N8182E) was involved in an aviation accident near Melbourne, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The certified flight instructor's improper touchdown flare that resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a touch-and-go landing training session, an airplane experienced a hard touchdown, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and surrounding structure. The flight instructor reported no mechanical issues.
Accident Details
A flight instructor reported that the training flight had completed four touch-and-go landings without incident. During the fifth attempt, the airplane touched down hard on the runway. The instructor stated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to or during the landing.
Aircraft Examination
A subsequent examination of the airframe revealed that the engine firewall and surrounding structure had sustained substantial damage. Investigators did not identify any mechanical malfunction or component failure during the examination. The damage was consistent with a hard landing event.
Conclusion
The hard landing resulted in structural damage to the aircraft. No mechanical issues were reported or found to have contributed to the event.