- Date
- March 4, 2010, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hearne, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6503MCessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100304028419A
- Case key
- 75441
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 student pilot's decision to land with a quartering tailwind and his improper flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
While on a solo cross-country flight, the student pilot attempted to land with a right quartering tailwind. Unable to land during the first two attempts, the pilot elected to go around the pattern for a third attempt. During the landing flare the airplane’s nosewheel impacted the runway first and the airplane began to bounce. Shortly thereafter, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright and in a nose-low position. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane’s flight controls were reported. An examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained structural damage during the accident.
Factual narrative
While on a solo cross country flight, the student pilot attempted to land with a right quartering tailwind. Unable to land during the first two attempts the pilot elected to go around the pattern for a third attempt. During the landing flare the airplane’s nose wheel impacted the runway first and the airplane began to bounce. Shortly thereafter, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright and in a nose low position. No mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane’s flight controls were reported. An examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained structural damage during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6503M
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284759
- Airframe hours
- 8,624
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- American Educational Complex
- Registered owner
- American Educational Complex
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 2010
- Departed
- ILE · Killeen, TX
- Destination
- LHB · Hearne, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- LHB · Hearne Municiple, runway 36, 4,001 × 75 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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 30 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- LHB
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 20, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.