FTW02LA254

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · Tulsa, OK · September 6, 2002

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
September 5, 2002, 19:15 local (Sep 6, 2002, 00:15 UTC)
Place
Tulsa, OK
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N94112Cessna 152
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 1, 2003
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20020905023129A
Case key
55670

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 recovery from a bounced landing, 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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Recovery from bounced landing - improperPilot in commandCause
Porpoise/pilot-induced oscillationPilot in command

Analysis

The flight instructor reported that this was the first supervised solo flight for the 34-hour student pilot. The instructor stated that earlier in the day she had flown with the student, who had successfully completed seven full stop landings. The instructor reported that on the student's supervised solo flight, the student failed to reduce power and "looked a little high and a little fast as he approached runway 19L." The instructor also stated that as the airplane came down and the wheels touched the ground, the airplane bounced off the runway and its nose wheel touched the ground. The instructor reported this happened three times, and the third time "it seemed as if the airplane's nose wheel folded undernearth as the airplane skidded off the right side of the runway." The airplane came to rest in an upright position approximately 1,500 feet from the approach end of the runway.

Factual narrative

On September 5, 2002, at 1915 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 single-engine airplane, N94112, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was operated by the Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa, and registered to Spartan Aviation Industries Inc., also of Tulsa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight originated at 1910.

On the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), and in a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the flight instructor reported that this was the first supervised solo flight for the 34-hour student pilot. The instructor stated that earlier in the day she had flown with the student who had successfully completed seven full stop landings. The instructor reported that on the student's supervised solo flight, the student failed to reduce power and "looked a little high and a little fast as he approached runway 19L." The instructor also stated that as the airplane came down and the wheels touched the ground, the airplane bounced off the runway and its nose wheel touched the ground. The instructor reported this happened three times, and the third time "it seemed as if the airplane's nose wheel folded underneath as the airplane skidded off the right side of the runway." The airplane came to rest in an upright position approximately 1,500 feet from the approach end of the runway.

An FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported structural damage to the firewall. The left wing tip, propeller, and front of the engine cowling were also damaged.

At 1853, the airport's Automated Surface Observing System (AWOS) reported the wind light and variable at 4 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 34 degrees C, dew point 19 degrees C, and an altimeter of 30.00 inches of Mercury.

Aircraft

Registration
N94112
Reported as
Cessna 152
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15285600
Airframe hours
11,346
Engine
Lycoming O-235-LAC, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Spartan School of Aeronautics
Registered owner
Spartan Aviation Industries
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · August 16, 2002 · 78 hours before
Departed
RVS · Tulsa, OK
Airport
RVS · Richard Lloyd Jones Jr Airport, runway 19L, 4,207 × 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
22
Injuries
None
Certificate
Student
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Left
Flight hours
34 total · 34 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
93 °F, dew point 66 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
RVS

FAA reports on this event · 1

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