Probable cause
The student pilot's improper flare during landing.
NTSB analysis
The student pilot stated that he was practicing touch-and-go landings prior to the accident. On his seventh landing he misjudged the flare, porpoised, and landed hard on the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and then landed on the nose gear. He applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. He returned to the airport and made an uneventful landing on another runway. Upon exiting the runway he realized that he did not have directional control of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and forward lower fuselage.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10CA143 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Feb 11, 2010
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida
- Nearest airport
- Saint Lucie County (FPR)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172P
- N-number
- N106JK
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.