Cessna 172S N789EP accident near Baltimore, Maryland

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to land during a thunderstorm.

NTSB analysis

According to the pilot, he was cleared to land on runway 33 and advised of approaching weather. During the approach, the airplane encountered heavy rain, moderate turbulence, strong crosswinds, and a “sudden downdraft and crosswind” that resulted in a “very hard” landing. The airplane became “unstable,” and began to bounce down the runway. The pilot aborted the landing and returned to land on runway 15. The airplane landed hard once again, and again bounced several times down the runway. During a turn on the runway, the pilot noted a flat nose tire and requested assistance for a tow. A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed a propeller strike and substantial damage to the firewall, as well as wrinkling of the lower fuselage. An aviation routine weather report for the airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 150 degrees true at 7 knots, and thunderstorms in the vicinity. The director of operations where the airplane was based on the airport, and one of the line service personnel who towed the airplane after the accident, confirmed that there had been a passing thunderstorm at the time of the accident. The pilot was not sure which of the hard landings resulted in the damage to the airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10CA305 for the full record.