Cessna 172P accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, February 11, 2010
On February 11, 2010 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N106JK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Pierce, Florida (Saint Lucie County airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 2010 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · Saint Lucie County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N106JK · no longer on the register · serial 17275321
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he was practicing touch-and-go landings prior to the accident. On his seventh landing he misjudged the flare, porpoised, and landed hard on the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and then landed on the nose gear. He applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. He returned to the airport and made an uneventful landing on another runway. Upon exiting the runway he realized that he did not have directional control of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and forward lower fuselage.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 49 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,345 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 10, 2010; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ari Ben Aviator INC
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 9:00 pm
- Destination: FPR Fort Pierce FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10L, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from FPR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.