- Date
- March 12, 2018, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Snohomish, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6509LCessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180312023939A
- Case key
- 96923
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 pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind and in his failure to maintain pitch control of the airplane in gusting wind conditions.
Findings · 5
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 pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the airplane pitched upward. During landing, the airplane bounced twice and each time it touched down on the nose landing gear, and subsequently both wings struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and the right-wing spar. The pilot reported that the wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 100° at 12kts, gusting to 30kts. The pilot landed on runway 33.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing flare, the airplane encountered a wind gust and the airplane pitched upward. During landing the airplane bounced twice and each time it touched down on the nose landing gear, and subsequently both wings struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left and the right-wing spar. The pilot reported that the wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 100° at 12kts, gusting to 30kts. The pilot landed on runway 33.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6509L
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284425
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 13,717.4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Snohomish Flying Service Inc
- Registered owner
- Snohomish Flying Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 24, 2018
- Departed
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Destination
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Airport
- S43 · Harvey Field, runway 33R, 2,672 × 36 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 28, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 175 total · 160 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KPAE, 7 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 5, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.
Other investigations on N6509L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.