- Date
- June 16, 2026, 14:38 UTC
- Place
- Carbondale, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N191FSCessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260616007749A
- Case key
- 203194
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 flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during the student pilot’s miscalculated landing flare which resulted in a hard landing and the nose landing gear collapsing.
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
The flight instructor reported that she and the student pilot were on an instructional flight and planned to stay in the airport traffic pattern. As the student flew the airplane and set the airplane up for the first landing, the airplane was high on final approach. The student decreased the power and the descent rate increased. When the airplane was over the runway, the student completely reduced the power and began to flare. The airplane landed hard on the runway and then bounced. The flight instructor intended to perform a go-around but then the nose landing gear collapsed. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the tunnel structure aft of the engine and firewall. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N191FS
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285939
- Built
- 1984
- Airframe hours
- 14,921.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Southern Illinois Board of Trustees DBA
- Registered owner
- Southern Illinois Board of Trustees DBA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 23, 2026 · 90 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MDH · Southern Illinois, runway 18L, 6,506 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 22 total · 10 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 6, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 345 total · 131 in this make and model · 275 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- KMDH
- METAR
- KMDH 161352Z 19006KT 10SM CLR 23/15 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02280150
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.