Student Pilot Loss of Control and Hard Landing at Centennial Airport

On August 8, 2020 at 17:40 local time, a Cessna 172 experienced a hard landing at Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado. The aircraft was substantially damaged and there were no injuries.

The student pilot was on a local solo flight when he misjudged the landing flare and the airplane ballooned before it landed hard on the runway. The student pilot stated that the airplane bounced at least 3 times, with each subsequent bounce harder than the previous bounce. The student pilot reported that he eventually lost directional control of the airplane before it came to a stop in the grass area beside the runway. The airplane’s lower fuselage structure was buckled resulting in substantial damage. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: the student pilot misjudged the landing flare which resulted in a loss of control and a hard bounced landing.