NTSB Factual Report

On July 11, 2001, about 1830 central daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N795SP, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK), near Lake in the Hills, Illinois. The solo instructional flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot was uninjured. The local flight departed from 3CK at time unknown and was performing a landing at the time of the accident.

The student pilot stated:

I proceeded in normal route for pattern and attempted my second landing

upon final I felt the plane was in proper requirements of landing aprox

65-70 Kts with full flaps and aprox. 900 feet at approaching runway 26. I

attempted to put the plane on runway for normal landing. [T]he plane

seemed to float above the runway longer than normal. As the plane touched

down on runway it seemed to land on main wheels but harder that normal and

bounced upward at this time[.] I added a little throttle to level plane

back for proper landing and then pulled throttle back to idle as plane had

smoothed out to flair however the plane touched the runway even a little

harder than first bounced and I felt the plane was not safe to land at

this time and did another go around. I did not feel or see the prop or

tail of plane touch runway surface[.] As I did the proper procedure for

go around the plane seemed to fly proper. I then was instructed to use

runway 08 for landing because of other traffic on route to 08 on final. I

followed this plane in after it had cleared the runway and landed the

plane with more of a normal landing. At this time a instructor greeted me

upon securing the plane and damage was noted with prop being bent on both

ends.

The student pilot and instructor pilot stated that there were no "mechanical malfunction failure" with the airplane during the flight.

At 1853, the DuPage Airport, West Chicago, Illinois, weather was: Wind 080 degrees at 10 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 23 degrees C; dew point 12 degrees C; altimeter 29.97 inches of mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot misjudging the flare during that landing. Factors were the wrong runway selected by the student pilot, the tailwinds encountered during that landing and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision during that landing.