Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 356; Flight Crew Type 61
Fatigue; Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
General None Reported / Taken
Airport; Human Factors
On the approach to Runway XX at ZZZ Airport after a standard right-hand traffic pattern; I was slightly higher than I should have been. This was largely due to concerns about the potential for strong wind drafts coming off the cliff at the approach end of Runway XX and it may have been the case that the particular Cessna 172 I was flying had a slightly lower sink rate at idle power than other Cessna 172s. Recognizing I was high; I flew the final approach slightly faster than the normal stabilized full-flaps approach speed of 65 kts. in a subconscious attempt to dissipate altitude more quickly. In hindsight; I should have held the plane at 65 kts. and went around if it became clear I could not land in the first 1/3 of the runway. Because of the slope of the runway; a pilot landing on Runway XX cannot fully see the departure end of the runway during the latter part of the approach; giving an illusion of running out of runway. Out of the same subconscious desire to get the plane down soon on a short runway; I made the mistake of touching down at too high of an airspeed. As a result; the aircraft skipped lightly off the runway. Aircraft pitch and airspeed did not change substantially and contact between the wheels and the runway was very light. The airspeed was simply too high for the aircraft to cease flying. I continued flying the aircraft; airspeed still on the high end; and due to the continued high airspeed; the next touch down could I believe be considered a legitimate bounce. It was not an aggressive bounce where I felt there was any risk of damage to the aircraft or loss of control; but there was a noticeable increase in altitude and decrease in speed after this one. If I had taken no action and allowed a second bounce; that bounce could have potentially been more severe. Instead; I elected to add a small amount of power to arrest the descent rate after the bounce and was able to guide the aircraft to a smooth landing; if still a bit fast. In hindsight; it may have been wise to go around after the bounce so as not to take an unnecessary risk.Factors that may have resulted in this poor landing performance include: ZZZ airport is a challenging place to land as the runway is short; narrow; sloped; and situated on top of a mountain with steep cliffs on both ends where significant downdrafts and updrafts may occur. I did not have significant experience at ZZZ airport (1 prior landing within the last year). I had not flown the specific Cessna 172 I was given by the rental agency prior to that day (the airplane I originally reserved was unavailable). I was flying with passengers. The automatic squelch was not working properly and there was a consistent; distracting static over the intercom. I had spent all day at the beach the prior day and was still fatigued from that. What I have taken away from this and what I believe others should take away is the importance of flying a consistent traffic pattern and approach and maintaining a constant airspeed stabilized approach (65 kts. in C172). Particularly when flying into a new airport or one with a narrow/sloped/short runway; I would not recommend diving toward the runway or even doing any significant amount of forward slipping. Rather; hold the stabilized approach airspeed; adjust power as necessary to control sink rate; and determine in advanced a go-around point; preferably within the first 1/3 of the runway. If the wheels are not down by the go-around point; immediately go around. This is better than diving for the runway or trying to slip excessively. In addition; at an airport such as ZZZ where landing can be a challenge; I would recommend going around after the first bounce instead of trying to salvage a bounced landing.
C-172 pilot reported an unstabilized approach resulting in bounced landing.