- Date
- September 18, 2019, 11:18 local (16:18 UTC)
- Place
- Denton, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N93069Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190918013319A
- Case key
- 100328
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 hard, bounced landing and a nose landing gear collapse.
Findings · 3
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, during landing, he flared the airplane too high. The airplane then sank, landed hard, and bounced multiple times, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The safety manager for the flight school reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that, during landing, he flared too high. He added that the airplane sank and landed hard. The airplane bounced multiple times and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The safety manager for the flight school reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 100° at 8 knots. The student pilot landed the airplane on runway 18.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93069
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285389
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 14,378
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Us Aviation Group Llc
- Registered owner
- Us Aviation Group Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 2019
- Departed
- DTO · Denton, TX
- Destination
- DTO · Denton, TX
- Airport
- DTO · Denton Enterprise, runway 18, 7,002 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, 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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 65.6 total · 65.6 in this make and model · 2.7 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 17.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KDTO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 5, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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 N93069 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.