Summary
On July 1, 2009, at about 0930 mountain standard time, a Cessna R172K, registration N1055V, experienced a hard bounced landing at Page Municipal Airport in Page, Arizona. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot and two passengers were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed for the personal flight. The airplane was operated by Spitfire Aviation of Santa Barbara, California, under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Kingman, Arizona, at about 0700.
Flight History
The pilot reported that Spitfire Aviation's management authorized her to rent N1055V for a multi-day round-robin cross-country flight. She had previously rented airplanes from this flight school and had taken lessons from its owner. On June 30, 2009, the pilot departed Santa Barbara with two passengers. En route to Nevada, she landed at Kingman and refueled. The following morning, July 1, she continued to Page, where the hard landing occurred.
Landing and Damage
During the landing, the pilot stated there was no crosswind during the traffic pattern approach and touchdown. The airplane touched down on its main landing gear and bounced approximately 10 feet into the air. During the second bounce, the airplane was in a nose-high attitude before a third, hardest impact on the runway. After the landing, the pilot consulted a certified flight instructor (CFI) from Spitfire Aviation for guidance. She also asked a local mechanic to inspect the airplane. The mechanic performed a brief visual walk-around without removing the engine cowling; he noted no obvious external structural damage but observed oil leaking from the engine compartment and a dirty belly.
On July 4, the pilot returned the airplane to Spitfire Aviation's Santa Barbara base. On July 13, a Spitfire mechanic removed the cowling and found the firewall severely bent, twisting some instrument housings. Major V-shaped wrinkles were noted on both sides of the cockpit floor near the center pedestal, and sheet metal on the floor was deformed. The left and right lower firewall were bent. The mechanic stated the damage was consistent with a hard landing event. Replacement parts were ordered, and the airplane underwent major structural repair including the firewall.
Post-Accident Handling
After the airplane was returned on July 4, Spitfire Aviation placed the substantially damaged aircraft back on its rental flight line. It was subsequently rented. On July 11, a CFI detected binding in the elevator control system but flew the airplane with a student. After the flight, he notified management, and the airplane was removed from service. Maintenance records show N1055V was continuously in maintenance from July 13 through September 7, 2009. No other accidents or incidents were reported during that period.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was not timely notified of the accident as required by 49 CFR Part 830. On October 20, 2009, Federal Aviation Administration personnel received information from a former Spitfire Aviation employee about an unreported accident. The pilot initially submitted an insurance loss statement on August 17 claiming the bounced landing occurred on August 12 in Santa Barbara, but later told the NTSB she had not flown N1055V since July 4 and that the hard landing was in Page on July 1. She stated the FBO's owner required her to report the later date. Spitfire Aviation's owner and chief mechanic refused to provide information or access to records, leading the NTSB to issue a subpoena duces tecum on January 22, 2010.