The pilot reported that, during short final at the airport in Palo Alto, California, he noticed “a sudden lack of wind,” and the Cessna 172 began to descend.
He added that the airplane landed hard and bounced multiple times. He taxied back to the parking ramp without further incident.
The airplane rental company owner reported that the pilot did not notify any personnel of the hard, bounded landing.
He added that, during a later flight, the airplane owner noticed a vibration and landed to examine the airplane. Postflight examination revealed propeller damage and substantial damage to the fuselage.
Probable cause: The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB Identification: GAA18CA294
This April 2018 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
What does “lack of wind” mean??? I really do not understand how some pilots got their wings. the FAA should tear his wings off his chest and never allow him to get them back.
Could be a wind shear, that’s happened to me. Why the pilot did not take immediate action (throttle!) is questionable.
Preflight walk-around appears to be lacking for the subsequent flight. They were lucky!
I don’t usually comment on these abbreviated NTSB reports because they are intended to be an educational tool. But I find a couple of things disturbing.
Bad landings happen, I’ve had my share of them, although the pilot’s description of “a sudden lack of wind” is interesting.
Why was there no post-flight inspection, especially after a hard landing? The responsible course of action would be to at least mention it to the owner.
Why would the owner do an abbreviated pre-flight, especially on a rental aircraft that is flown by different pilots?
Food for thought…
I couldn’t have said it any better