Probable cause
The student pilot's improper landing flare, inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and loss of directional control.
NTSB analysis
The student pilot stated that this was his fourth solo flight and that he had accumulated about 2 hours of solo flying experience. He flew to a nearby airport for practice touch-and-go landings and takeoffs and was planning a standard rectangular pattern. As he approached the airfield, a tower air traffic controller instructed him to perform a straight-in approach. This was the student pilot’s first attempt at a straight-in landing, and he had difficulty stabilizing the airplane’s flight path before touchdown. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane rolled into muddy terrain, bending the nose wheel landing gear mounting structure and the engine firewall. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12CA049 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Nov 28, 2011
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Napa, California
- Nearest airport
- Napa County Airport (APC)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172K
- N-number
- N7952A
- 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.