- Date
- September 13, 1997, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Salem, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N66547Cessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 30, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970913027719A
- Case key
- 10704
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 improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
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 student pilot reported that before landing, the approach was normal. While over the approach end of the runway, he leveled off the airplane to bleed off airspeed, then the airplane 'stalled and dropped in quite hard.' The airplane bounced and came down at an angle to the runway, then the nose wheel folded under the airframe, damaging the firewall. The airplane then slid to a stop. Later, the pilot said that he was momentarily distracted, and the airplane started to drift, causing his attention to be diverted away from the airspeed.
Factual narrative
On September 13, 1997 at 1500 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 150M, N66547, registered to Salem Flying Club, Inc., of Salem, Illinois, was substantially damaged when the airplane impacted the terrain following a hard landing at Salem Airport, Salem, Illinois. The instructional flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was on file. The student pilot reported no injuries. The solo flight departed Salem, Illinois at 1445 cdt.
In a written report, the pilot said that the initial landing sequence was normal. While over the approach end of the runway, he leveled off the airplane to bleed off airspeed, at which time the airplane "stalled and dropped in quite hard." The airplane bounced and came down at an angle to the runway, at which time the nose wheel folded under the airframe, damaging the firewall. The airplane then slid to a stop. In a telephone conversation, the pilot said that he was momentarily distracted when over the runway the airplane started to drift, causing his attention to be diverted away from the airspeed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66547
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2071830
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Salem Flying Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 1997 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- SLO
- Destination
- SLO
- Airport
- SLO · Salem-Leckrone, runway 18, 4,098 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 39 total · 34 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.