- Date
- December 19, 2010, 13:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bolingbrook, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5437MCessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20101219054709A
- Case key
- 78066
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
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
The student pilot was completing a solo cross-country flight. During landing approach at the destination airport, the student pilot applied right aileron and left rudder to compensate for the wind. While over the grass runway threshold the airplane encountered turbulence and the student pilot added engine power. The turbulence subsided and the touchdown was soft and flat. As the nosewheel touched down, the airplane swerved to the left and the student pilot overcorrected to the right. The airplane veered to the right where the nosewheel and left wing impacted a snow bank. Examination of the airplane revealed that both wings were buckled. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane. The student pilot reported the wind was from 270 degrees at 8 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was completing a solo cross-country flight. During the approach to runway 18, the student pilot applied right aileron and left rudder to compensate for the wind. While over the grass runway threshold, the airplane encountered "some turbulence" and the student pilot added engine power. The turbulence subsided and the "touchdown was soft and flat." As the nose wheel touched down, the airplane swerved to the left and the student pilot "overcorrected to the right." The airplane veered to the right where the nose wheel and left wing impacted a snow bank. Examination of the airplane revealed both wings were buckled. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5437M
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284587
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sale Reported
- Registered owner
- Sale Reported
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- VYS · Peru, IL
- Destination
- 1C5 · Bolingbrook, IL
- Airport
- 1C5 · Clow International Airport, runway 18, 3,362 × 50 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
- 16
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 39 total · 39 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F
- Observed at
- LOT, 5 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 245 KB 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.