Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during the landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that during the landing roll, he felt a shimmy in the front of the airplane. He pulled back on the yoke to lighten the weight on the nose. The shimmy didn’t reduce, so he pulled the yoke back further, which caused the airplane to porpoise and land hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the floor and fuselage.
The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA365 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 28, 2023
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Alamogordo, New Mexico
- Nearest airport
- Alamogordo/White Sands Regiona (ALM)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna R172E
- N-number
- N7881N
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1967
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
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.