- Date
- January 2, 2008, 15:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Loveland, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N24965Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20080102000129A
- Case key
- 67335
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 premature flare resulting in the loss of aircraft control.
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
According to the student pilot she flared too early, ballooned, and impacted the runway. She stated that when she impacted the runway, she was not aligned with the centerline and the airplane departed the runway to the left. The airplane slid into the snow, resulting in substantial damage. The student reported no anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, she was on her first solo flight. During the last landing to runway 15 (8,500 feet by 100 feet, asphalt) she "flared too early", ballooned, and impacted the runway. She stated that when she impacted the runway, she was not aligned with the centerline and the airplane departed the runway to the left. The airplane slid into the snow. Postaccident examination revealed both wing spars were bent up and the propeller was bent. The student reported no anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24965
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280476
- Airframe hours
- 5,835.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Colorado Contrails
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2007
- Departed
- KFNL · Loveland, CO
- Destination
- KFNL · Loveland, CO
- Airport
- FNL · Fort Collins Loveland, runway 15, 8,500 × 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18 total · 4 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- KFNL, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.