26 Nov 2017: CESSNA 172 S — EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY INC — Daytona Beach, FL

No fatalitiesDaytona Beach, FL, United States

A training flight in a Cessna 172 resulted in substantial fuselage damage after the aircraft experienced a hard, bouncing landing.

What happened

On November 26, 2017, a Cessna 172, registration N452ER, sustained substantial damage to its fuselage following a hard landing at Daytona Beach, Florida. The aircraft, operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Inc, had been used four days earlier for a flight as part of the pilot's commercial training. At the conclusion of that training flight, no mechanical discrepancies were reported.

During the landing on runway 25R, the aircraft experienced a flat touchdown that led to subsequent bounces on the runway. At the time of the event, weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 280 degrees at 3 knots.

There were no injuries resulting from this event.

Probable cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, which caused the aircraft to land hard and bounce.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedPilot