Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to flare properly which resulted in a hard landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to the pilot, a personal urgency forced her to divert to an airport short of the destination. She also stated that the approach airspeed and the height over the runway, were excessive. The airplane touched down hard and bounced several times. Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine firewall was buckled.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 14, 1994, at 1015 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172M, N61990, landed hard on runway 4 at Barnwell County Airport at Barnwell, South Carolina. The personal flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, with a visual flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Gastonia, North Carolina, at 0900 hours. Because of a personal urgency, the pilot diverted to an airport short of the destination airport. The pilot stated that the altitude and airspeeds were excessive for the landing. The airplane touch down hard, bounced and porpoised several times before she stopped the airplane on the runway. When the airplane was examined several days later, it was determined that in addition to the nose gear damage, the engine firewall was buckled. There were no aircraft problems reported by the pilot. -