Cessna 172P accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, February 23, 2010
On February 23, 2010 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N88EP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Pierce, Florida (St Lucie County International 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2010 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Pierce, Florida · St Lucie County International · 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
- N88EP · registry record · serial 17276538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the chief flight instructor, the student pilot was performing a local solo flight in the traffic pattern. The approach to landing was normal, but the student flared late and landed hard on the nose wheel. The airplane bounced several times and incurred substantial damage to the firewall.
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 Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,024 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 19, 2010; 8 hours since
- 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 6:30 pm
- Destination: FPR Fort Pierce FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10R, 6,492 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from FPR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N88EP 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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA10CA213.