On 17 Feb 2017, a CESSNA 172 N was involved in an aviation accident near Naples, FL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain pitch control, which resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During landing at about 70 knots, the airplane experienced buffeting and a wind gust, causing a balloon and hard landing on the nose gear. The propeller struck the ground, resulting in substantial firewall damage. The wind was variable at 5 knots.
Incident Description
The pilot reported that during the landing rollout at approximately 70 knots indicated airspeed, the airplane began to buffet and was pushed to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot recovered and realigned the airplane with the nose on the centerline. As the pilot entered the flare, another wind gust was encountered, causing the airplane to balloon. The airplane then descended and pitched down, landing hard on the nose gear. The propeller struck the ground during the event. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane without further incident.
Weather Conditions
The meteorological aerodrome report (METAR) indicated that the wind was variable at 5 knots around the time of the accident.
Aircraft Information
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the firewall.