- Date
- August 3, 1998, 10:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Norman, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N93116Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980803040089A
- Case key
- 43667
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 delayed landing flare resulting in a hard landing and his improper recovery procedures for a bounced 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 solo student pilot lost control of the airplane following a hard landing after the airplane began to porpoise and the student pilot was unable to recover. The student pilot had been practicing touch and go landings. The flight instructor, who was supervising the solo flight from the ramp, observed the first touch and go to be 'ok.' During the second approach, the instructor noticed that the student flared 'improperly' and the student pilot recovered by executing a go around prior to touching down. On the third touch and go, he observed the student flare 'improperly' again. Upon touch down, the aircraft began to porpoise. During the porpoise, the propeller struck the ground and the nose landing gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 1998, at 1040 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, N93116, owned and operated by Airman Flight School of Norman, Oklahoma, was substantially damaged during landing at Westheimer Field, Norman, Oklahoma. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 supervised solo instructional flight.
According to the flight instructor who was supervising the flight from the ramp, the student pilot was performing touch and go landings. He observed the first touch and go to be "ok." During the second approach, the instructor noticed that the student flared "improperly" and made a go around without touching down. On the third touch and go, he observed the student flare "improperly" again. Following a hard landing, the aircraft began to porpoise. While attempting to recover, the propeller struck the ground and the nose landing gear collapsed.
Structural damage found by a FAA inspector was a buckled engine firewall, and wrinkled lower fuselage skin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93116
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285405
- Airframe hours
- 7,700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 105 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Airman Flight School, doing business as Airman Flight School
- Registered owner
- Christiansen Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 10, 1998 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- OUN
- Airport
- OUN · Max Westheimer Field, runway 21, 4,800 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 69 total · 69 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 33.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N93116 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.