CEN25LA134

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · Denton, TX · March 20, 2025

Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
March 20, 2025, 15:56 local (20:56 UTC)
Place
Denton, TX · Airport
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N68332Cessna 152
Defining event
Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report January 9, 2026
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration - North Texas FSDO
FAA report
20250320013029A
Case key
199905

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 pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent improper recovery from a bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the gusty crosswind and windshear during landing.

Findings · 6

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.

Landing gear system: nose/tail landing gearAircraft › Aircraft systems · Capability exceededCessna 152: 2 casesAll aircraft: 185 casesProbable cause
Landing gear system: nose/tail gear attach sectionAircraft › Aircraft systems · Capability exceededCessna 152: 1 caseAll aircraft: 29 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parameters: pitch controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedCessna 152: 14 casesAll aircraft: 526 casesProbable cause
Action: delayed actionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · PilotCessna 152: 15 casesAll aircraft: 894 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotCessna 152: 115 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Wind: windshearEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on operationCessna 152: 1 caseAll aircraft: 90 casesProbable cause

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 pilot was conducting a full stop landing to runway 36R in a gusty crosswind and light-to-moderate turbulence. While the airplane was on the base leg in the traffic pattern, another pilot transmitted over the tower frequency that they had a 10 knot windshear while over the runway during their takeoff. The tower controller asked the pilot if she heard the other pilot’s transmission about windshear over the runway. The pilot acknowledged the potential for windshear, increased her approach speed, and continued with the landing approach. The pilot reported that the airplane remained on a stable landing approach until a few feet above the runway when the airplane landed hard before she began the landing flare. The airplane bounced and then began to porpoise on the runway. The nose landing gear struck the runway at least 3 times before the pilot increased engine power for a go-around. However, as she increased the engine power, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid nose down to a stop on the runway. Several engine mount tubes fractured when the nose landing gear collapsed aft. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Additionally, she reported that the wind conditions at the time of the accident exceeded her personal limitations and that the accident could have been prevented had she began the go-around after the first bounced landing. Recorded wind at the time of the accident was 340° at 12 knots gust to 19 knots.

Aircraft

Registration
N68332
Reported as
Cessna 152
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15285326
Built
1981
Airframe hours
13,678
Engine
Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
US Aviation Academy
Registered owner
Wings Over Texas Holdings, LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · April 25, 2024 · 821.7 hours before
Departed
DTO · Denton, TX
Destination
DTO · Denton, TX
Airport
DTO · Denton Enterprise Airport, runway 36R, 7,002 × 150 ft, asphalt
Equipment
ADS-B

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
Pilot
Age
24
Injuries
None
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
April 29, 2024
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
234.1 total · 200.7 in this make and model · 135.6 as pilot in command · 18.8 in the last 90 days · 11.8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
340° at 12 knots, gusting 19
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
63 °F, dew point 27 °F
Altimeter
30.28 inHg
Turbulence
Unknown
Observed at
KDTO
METAR
METAR KDTO 202053Z 34012G19KT 10SM CLR 17/M03 A3028 RMK AO2 SLP251 T01671028 56034=

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 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.