- Date
- March 28, 2002, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Melbourne, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5530QCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 54426
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The students pilot's failure to perform a go-around after a bounced landing condition that resulted in the on-ground collision with a ditch.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the student pilot, he was on a cross country flight from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Vero Beach, Florida, to Melbourne, Florida, and back to Daytona Beach. Upon approaching Melbourne, Florida, the student pilot was cleared by the Air Traffic Control Tower to land on runway 4. During landing the airplane bounced several times, ran off the end of the 3000 foot runway and collided with a ditch coming to rest inverted. The pilot reported that executing a go-around would have prevented this accident.
Factual narrative
On March 28, 2002, at 1630 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N5530Q, registered to Alpha Leasing LLC, and operated by Phoenix East Aviation, ran off the runway during landing at Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne, Florida. The instructional flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the solo cross country flight. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Daytona Beach, Florida, at 1000.
According to the student pilot, he was on a cross country flight from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Vero Beach, Florida, to Melbourne, Florida, and back to Daytona Beach. Upon approaching Melbourne, Florida, the student pilot was cleared by the Air Traffic Control Tower to land on runway 4. During landing the airplane bounced several times, ran off the end of the 3000 foot runway and collided with a ditch coming to rest inverted. As the airplane bounced down the runway the pilot thought about executing a go-around but believed there was enough runway available for a landing.
Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the vertical stabilizer, and nose gear. The student pilot reported no mechanical problems prior to landing. The student pilot reported that executing a go-around would have prevented this accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5530Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285117
- Airframe hours
- 9,011
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Phoenix East Aviation, doing business as Flight School
- Registered owner
- Alpha Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Destination
- DAB · Melbourne, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MLB · Melbourne International, runway 040, 3,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 64 total · 64 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLB
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 493 KB in all.
Other investigations on N5530Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.