Probable cause
The student pilot's inadequate landing flare which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage to the airplane.
NTSB analysis
During a full stop landing at an airport on the second leg of a multiple leg cross country flight, the student pilot landed, the airplane bounced, and then touched down again, hard on the nose landing gear. The student pilot then lost directional control, the airplane drifted towards the left side of the runway, and then came to rest. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane had incurred substantial damage. The tip of one propeller blade was bent, the nose wheel landing gear tire was flat, the cabin floor was wrinkled, the belly skin of the fuselage was wrinkled, and the firewall was buckled. The student pilot was uninjured, and he advised that he had no mechanical problems prior to the accident.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA15CA150 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 7, 2015
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia
- Nearest airport
- Richmond International (RIC)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172S
- N-number
- N144ME
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2000
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
Other records under this N-number
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.