- Date
- February 28, 2020, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tampa, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N25474Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 29, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200228002029A
- Case key
- 101019
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 landing flare and failure to conduct a go-around, which resulted in a bounced landing and the nosewheel collapsing.
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
The student pilot reported that, while conducting her first solo flight, the airplane bounced on landing, and the stall horn sounded. The airplane bounced three more times before the nosewheel collapsed, and the left wing contacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to an engine mount and the left wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. She said the accident could have been prevented if she had executed a go-around.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was conducting her first ever solo flight and bounced on landing and the stall horn sounded. The airplane bounced three more times before the nose wheel collapsed and the left wing contacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to an engine mount and the left wing. The student pilot stated there were no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine prior to the accident. She said the accident could have been prevented if she had executed a go-around.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25474
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280678
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 7,087
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 13, 2020
- Departed
- VDF · Tampa, FL
- Destination
- VDF · Tampa, FL
- Airport
- VDF · Tampa Executive, runway 05, 5,000 × 100 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 31.7 total · 31.7 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- VDF
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 13, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.