- Date
- September 26, 1998, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Oxford, CT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89644Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 28, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980926045649A
- Case key
- 44054
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 improper flare and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience.
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 pilot completed three takeoffs and landings. The pilot said that during the fourth landing attempt he encountered a gust of wind. The pilot stated he overcorrected during his attempt to complete the landing. The airplane bounced three times and landed hard on the nose gear. The pilot said, 'This was my fault. Instead of correcting, I tried to put the airplane down as quickly as possible.' The pilot reported 85 hours of total flight experience, 20 hours of which were in make and model.
Factual narrative
On September 26, 1998, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89644, was substantially damaged after a loss of control during landing at the Waterbury-Oxford Airport (OXC), Oxford, Connecticut. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight that originated at OXC, at 1215. No flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
In a written statement provided to the Connecticut State Police, the passenger stated:
"We taxied off [to] Runway 36 for a day of practice flights...the pre-flight was fine and the weather was good. We then flew the pattern and did 3 landings. On the fourth landing a gust of wind came in and blew us off the runway. The plane bounced three times and we were blown into the grass. The nose wheel was low, which caused it to break, and make us go into the grass."
In a written statement provided to the Connecticut State Police, the pilot stated:
"At approximately 1215, I taxied out to Runway 36 and took off without any problems. We then flew the pattern and did 3 landings. On the 4th landing, a gust of wind came in and blew us off the runway. This was my fault. Instead of correcting, I tried to put the plane down as quickly as possible. The plane bounced three times and we were blown into the grass. The nose wheel was low and that broke. The nose wheel caused us to go into the grass."
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector revealed wing and fuselage damage. Further examination revealed firewall and landing gear damage that included a broken nose gear strut. The Inspector stated the nose gear was 'low' during the landing roll because the strut was broken during the landing.
According to the Inspector, the pilot reported there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
The pilot reported 85 hours of total flight experience, 20 of which were in the Cessna 152.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89644
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282812
- Airframe hours
- 5,634
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hicks Enterprises
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 1998 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- OXC
- Airport
- OXB · Waterbury-Oxford, runway 36, 5,000 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 85 total · 20 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OXC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.