Accident Details
During a touch-and-go landing, the aircraft departed the runway, encountered soft terrain, and turned over onto its nose. An examination of the runway surface found no skid marks leading to the accident site. The tires were inspected and showed no flat spots. After the aircraft was uprighted, the wheels were rolled and no brake resistance was noted. A subsequent inspection of the brakes revealed no defects. Weather conditions at the time included calm winds.
Pilot Background
The pilot had obtained his private pilot certificate on April 4, 2001, and had accumulated approximately 78 total flight hours at the time of the accident. All of his primary flight training was conducted in a Katana DA-20. After earning his certificate, he received 3.7 hours of flight instruction in the Cessna 172 and logged an additional 2.4 hours of flight time before the accident.
Pilot Technique Observations
A flight instructor from the same flight school flew with the pilot in another Cessna 172 the day after the accident. The instructor, who was experienced in both the Katana DA-20 and the Cessna 172, noted that the pilot had a tendency to land very flat, without any flare. The instructor explained that the Katana DA-20's landing characteristics require little or no flare from the pilot, whereas the Cessna 172 requires a considerable amount of flare to achieve a proper touchdown attitude. Since the pilot's primary training was in the Katana, his instinct in any airplane would be to land it in the same manner. In the event of a nose-first landing, the airplane will "wheel barrow," becoming nearly impossible to control, which can lead to a rapid and uncontrollable change in direction on the runway.