Cessna 172S N618VT accident near Orlando, Florida

Probable cause

The student pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot stated that at 4 nautical miles from runway 18 right, the approach was stabilized with flaps and a constant airspeed of 65 knots was maintained . As the airplane descended, over the end of the runway, the pilot's eyes shifted to the runway markings directly in front. The airplane bounced on the main landing gear and upon the bounce, the pilot recovered with additional power to re-stabilize the approach/landing. The airplane bounced again and thereafter had a hard nose-low landing onto the runway. After the hard landing, the right rudder pedal travel was limited; however, the student pilot was able to taxi off the active runway to the fix base operator where the airplane was secured and exited. The student pilot stated to NTSB that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for MIA08CA056 for the full record.