Cessna 172S N21670 accident near Naples, Florida

Probable cause

The student pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to land due to the deteriorating weather conditions.

NTSB analysis

The solo student pilot was returning to her home airport, and was on a straight-in approach to the 6,600-foot runway. At the time of the landing clearance, the tower controller reported that the weather conditions were "deteriorating rapidly" to instrument meteorological conditions, but the pilot reported the runway was in sight during the entire approach. She said she completed the approach in accordance with traffic pattern altitudes and speed, and set the flaps to 20 degrees prior to touchdown. During the landing, the airplane touched down "hard" on the main and nose landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14CA452 for the full record.