Cessna 172 N64203 accident near Bluffton, Ohio

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was practicing solo takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. During the landing flare of her second traffic pattern circuit, the pilot attempted a landing flare, but instead of holding the airplane’s nosewheel above the runway, she allowed the nose wheel to contact the runway. The pilot then pulled back on the yoke in order to soften the landing, but the airplane climbed and again contacted the runway with the nosewheel first two more times before the airplane came to a stop on the runway. The airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA016 for the full record.