Accident Details
On April 26, 2012, at approximately 1330 mountain standard time, a Cessna 172S, registration N320ME, sustained substantial damage following a hard landing at Glendale Municipal Airport in Glendale, Arizona. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to Air Safety Ventures and operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) local personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Glendale at 1155.
Wind Conditions and Landing Sequence
The pilot was landing in gusting wind conditions. He reported encountering wind shear during the landing flare on runway 19. The airplane bounced, and the pilot applied corrective actions. However, the airplane touched down a second time on its nose wheel, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. Wind conditions at the time of the accident were from 200 degrees at 14 knots with gusts to 24 knots.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.