- Date
- September 2, 2003, 15:06 local (19:06 UTC)
- Place
- Pontiac, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N757GLCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Detroit FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030902022379A
- Case key
- 57867
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 inadequate recovery from the bounced landing. Factors contributing to the accident were the variable crosswind, the misjudged flare that resulted in the bounced landing and the subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear.
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
The nose landing gear collapsed during a recovery from a bounced landing. The student pilot reported that he was practicing landings on runway 9L, and upon touchdown during the second landing attempt, the airplane "bounced into the air". The pilot stated the airplane settled back to the runway and the nose landing gear touched down prior to the main landing gear. The pilot reported that the nose landing gear "folded and the aircraft veered to the left edge of the runway and then to the right[,] stopping in the middle of the runway." The student pilot reported his total flight time was 179 hours, of which 52 hours were as pilot-in-command. The pilot had flown 22 hours during the previous 90 days and 14 hours during the previous 30 days. Besides the accident flight, the pilot had not flown during the previous 24 hours. The local winds approximately 13 minutes prior to the accident were 060 degrees true at 10 knots gusting to 15 knots. The local winds approximately 26 minutes after the accident were 120 degrees true at 7 knots, winds direction variable between 100 and 160 degrees.
Factual narrative
On September 2, 2003, at 1506 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N757GL, piloted by a student pilot, sustained substantial damage when the nose landing gear collapsed while landing on runway 9L (5,000 feet by 100 feet, asphalt) at the Oakland County International Airport (PTK), Pontiac, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The solo-instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated from PTK at 1320.
According to the student pilot's written statement, he was practicing landings on runway 9L, and upon touchdown during the second landing attempt, the airplane "bounced into the air". The pilot stated the airplane settled back to the runway and the nose landing gear touched down prior to the main landing gear. The pilot reported that the nose landing gear "folded and the aircraft veered to the left edge of the runway and then to the right[,] stopping in the middle of the runway."
The student pilot reported his total flight time was 179 hours, of which 52 hours were as pilot-in-command. The pilot had flown 22 hours during the previous 90 days and 14 hours during the previous 30 days. Besides the accident flight, the pilot had not flown during the previous 24 hours.
The PTK automated surface observing system (ASOS) recorded the following information:
At 1453: Wind 060 degrees true at 6 knots gusting to 15 knots; 10 statute mile visibility; few clouds at 4,000 feet above ground level (agl), scattered clouds at 9,000 feet agl; temperature 24 degrees Celsius; dew point of 11 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.12 inches of mercury.
At 1532: Wind 120 degrees true at 7 knots, wind direction variable between 100 and 160 degrees; 10 statute mile visibility; scattered clouds at 4,000 feet agl, scattered clouds at 25,000 feet agl; temperature 24 degrees Celsius; dew point of 11 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.10 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757GL
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279728
- Airframe hours
- 10,032
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pontiac Flight Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 19, 2003
- Departed
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Destination
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Airport
- PTK · Oakland County International, runway 9L, 5,000 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 179 total · 179 in this make and model · 52 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.