- Date
- January 28, 2026, 14:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Gantt, SC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N67WJCessna 150L
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260128000469A
- Case key
- 202378
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, which resulted in a bounced landing, and a nose landing gear collapse.
Findings · 2
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 after arriving at the destination airport while on a solo cross-country flight, she elected to perform airport traffic pattern work with some touch-and-go landings. The first landing went well, and the pilot took off again for a second attempt. The second approach was stable throughout; the airspeed was good and it was smooth, but after arriving over the threshold, she reduced engine power but flared late, which did not arrest the descent in time. The airplane struck the runway and bounced. During the second bounce the airplane landed hard, and the nose landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and airframe. The pilot agreed that there were no preimpact malfunctions or failures of the airplane that precluded normal operation. The pilot further stated she just “rounded out late,” and thought it was too late to abort the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67WJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15074915
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 4,118.6
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pivotal Aviation
- Registered owner
- Business As Usual LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 12, 2025 · 58.6 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- GYH · Donaldson Fld, runway 05/23, 8,000 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 6, 2026
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 45 in this make and model · 5.1 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- GYH
- METAR
- SPECI KGYH 281907Z 25011KT 10SM CLR 07/M12 A3013
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.