DFW07CA030

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · Houston, TX · November 23, 2006

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
November 23, 2006, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
Place
Houston, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N67503Cessna 152
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report March 26, 2007
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Houston, Texas
FAA report
20061123030759A
Case key
64941

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the misjudged touchdown point.

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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Flare - improperPilot in commandCause
Touchdown - misjudgedPilot in commandFactor
In flight collision with terrain/waterLanding - flare/touchdown
Terrain condition - runway

Analysis

The 2,480-hour commercial pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 380 hours in the make and model airplane involved in the accident, reported that on the third touch and go landing, while practicing a short field approach and landing to a 5,000-foot-long by 100-foot-wide paved runway, he failed to maintain control of the single-engine airplane and landed hard and short of the landing threshold for Runway 09. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident, the airplane's nose gear collapsed and the engine firewall sustained structural damage. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the pilot reported that "short field landings should always be practiced using a simulated beginning point of the runway. It is not necessary to use the actual landing threshold." The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine prior to the accident. Weather was reported as calm winds, unlimited visibility, clear skies, temperature 68 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.22 inches of mercury.

Factual narrative

The 2,480-hour commercial pilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 380 hours in the same make and model, reported that on the third touch and go landing, while practicing a short field approach and landing to a 5,000-foot-long by 100-foot-wide paved runway, he failed to maintain control of the single-engine airplane and landed hard and short of the landing threshold for Runway 09. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident, the airplane's nose gear collapsed and the engine firewall sustained structural damage. When asked how this accident could have been prevented, the pilot reported that "short field landings should always be practiced using a simulated beginning point of the runway. It is not necessary to use the actual landing threshold." The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine prior to the accident. Weather was reported as calm winds, unlimited visibility, clear skies, temperature 68 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.22 inches of mercury.

Aircraft

Registration
N67503
Reported as
Cessna 152
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15281872
Engine
Lycoming O-235-l2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Dutchwings. llc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · September 1, 2006
Departed
Arcola, TX
Destination
Arcola, TX
Airport
KAXH · Houston Southwest, runway 09, 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
43
Injuries
None
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
November 1, 2005
Seat
Left
Flight hours
2,480 total · 380 in this make and model · 2,454 as pilot in command · 92 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
68 °F, dew point 59 °F
Altimeter
30.21 inHg
Observed at
KAXH

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.