- Date
- March 22, 1999, 17:25 local (23:25 UTC)
- Place
- Bloomington, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N757MJCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990322002589A
- Case key
- 45964
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 misjudged flare and inadvertent stall during landing. A factor was the pilot's inadequate remedial action.
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
In his written statement, the student pilot stated that he was practicing his soft field landing technique using runway 29 (6500 feet by 150 feet dry/concrete). He said that during the approach to landing, he flared the airplane too high, and he then increased power to recover, but the airplane banked to the left. The pilot stated that he landed hard on the left tire and that he applied full power to initiate an aborted landing. He said that during this time, the flaps were in the 30 degree down position. The pilot stated that the airplane then stalled, and the left wing struck the ground, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies.
Factual narrative
On March 22, 1999, at 1725 central standard time (cst), a Cessna 152, N757MJ, piloted by a student pilot, was destroyed during landing at the Bloomington-Normal Airport, Bloomington, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The student pilot who was the sole occupant reported minor injuries. The flight originated at the Bloomington-Normal Airport for a local flight at 1650 cst.
In his written statement, the student pilot stated that he was practicing his soft field landing technique using runway 29 (6500 feet by 150 feet dry/concrete). The pilot stated that, during the approach to landing, he flared the airplane too high. The pilot stated that he then increased power to recover but the airplane banked to the left. The pilot stated that he landed hard on the left tire and that he applied full power to initiate an aborted landing. The pilot stated that, during this time, the flaps were in the 30 degree down position. The pilot stated that the airplane then stalled and the left wing struck the ground, the nose gear then collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted attitude.
Post accident investigation of the aircraft revealed no pre-existing anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757MJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279846
- Airframe hours
- 7,377
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Image Air Of Southwest Florida
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 1998 · 102 hours before
- Departed
- BMI
- Airport
- BMI · Central Illinois Regional, runway 29, 6,500 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 55 total · 53 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BMI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.