Probable cause
The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
The student pilot was on a solo training flight. The student flew in the local practice area and then returned to the departure airport for touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The student completed one landing uneventfully. On the second landing, as the student flared, the airplane ballooned to approximately 20 feet above ground level. The airplane dropped hard and the nose and right wing impacted the runway, followed by the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the wing spar sustained substantial damage. The student reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR11CA472 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 28, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Napa, California
- Nearest airport
- Napa County Airport (APC)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172R
- N-number
- N21284
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
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.