Cessna 172S accident near Lawrence, Kansas, December 7, 2010
On December 7, 2010 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172S, registered N99HV, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s non-stabilized approach and improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 2010 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrence, Kansas · Lawrence Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172S · all 172Ss on the register
- Registration
- N99HV · registry record · serial 172S10090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the student pilot’s second solo landing of the day, he realized that the airplane was too high and fast; however, he elected to continue the approach. On touchdown the airplane landed nosewheel first, bounced back into the air, and then settled back to the runway. An examination of the airplane following the accident revealed that the airplane’s firewall sustained substantial damage during the hard landing. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 73 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,093 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 6, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-L2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hetrick Air Services INC
The flight
- Departed from: LWC Lawrence KS
- Destination: LWC Lawrence KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 3,901 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N99HV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA100.