- Date
- June 20, 2001, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lapace, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1FCCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010620019149A
- Case key
- 52539
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 flared the airplane high, which resulted in a hard landing.
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
The student pilot indicated that his traffic pattern was normal; however, when he flared, the airplane floated down the runway and gained some altitude. As the airplane "slowed, and neared a stall," the student pilot applied full power; however, that "did not effect the airplane's airspeed due to the high pitch altitude." The airplane "fell out of the sky approximately 8 feet" and impacted the runway with the main landing gear. The airplane bounced into the air, yawed to the right, and impacted the ground with the left main landing gear and the nose landing gear. The airplane skidded to the left, and the left wing impacted the ground. When the left wing impacted the ground, the airplane yawed left, collapsing the nose landing gear. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest upright on the left side of the runway.
Factual narrative
On June 20, 2001, at 1530 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 single-engine airplane, N1FC, was substantially damaged during a bounced landing at the Saint John the Baptist Parish Airport, near LaPace, Louisiana. The aircraft was registered to and operated by Air Realdan Inc., of New Orleans, Louisiana. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 solo flight. The flight departed Baton Rouge, Louisiana, approximately 1430, and had a planned destination of Lake Front Airport, New Orleans, Louisiana.
During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the student pilot stated that he departed Baton Rouge and was informed by air traffic control (ATC) that his transponder was not working. The student recycled the transponder from ON to OFF, back to ON; however, ATC personnel informed the pilot that they were still not receiving the transponder signal. The Baton Rouge controller told the pilot to contact New Orleans approach control. The New Orleans approach controller informed the pilot that they were not receiving the transponder signal and he was to remain clear of the Class B airspace. The pilot did not want to fly around the Class B airspace because of scattered rain showers along that route, so he elected to land at Saint John the Baptist Parish Airport.
The student pilot indicated that his traffic pattern was "normal;" however, when he flared, the airplane "floated" down the runway and gained some altitude. As the airplane "slowed, and neared a stall," the student pilot applied full power; however, that "did not effect the airplane's airspeed due to the high pitch altitude." The airplane "fell out of the sky approximately 8 feet" and impacted the runway with the main landing gear. The airplane bounced into the air, yawed to the right, and impacted the ground with the left main landing gear and the nose landing gear. The airplane skidded to the left, and the left wing impacted the ground. When the left wing impacted the ground, the airplane yawed left, collapsing the nose landing gear. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest upright on the left side of the runway.
The FAA inspector, who spoke with company maintenance personnel, reported that the firewall and left wing tip sustained damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1FC
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 152-84571
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air Realdan Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 11, 2001
- Departed
- BTR · Baton Rouge, LA
- Destination
- NEW · New Orleans, LA
- Airport
- 1L0 · Saint John the Baptist, runway 17, 4,000 × 75 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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 56 total · 46 in this make and model · 19 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.