- Date
- October 11, 1998, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Clinton, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N11951Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981011028819A
- Case key
- 44165
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 flare and improper recovery from 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 student pilot was on his second supervised solo flight. The flight instructor was positioned at the end of the runway with a handheld radio. He stated that the student pilot had completed eight landings and this landing was to a full stop. The student pilot reported that everything was the same as the previous landings until the airplane 'experienced an updraft.' The airplane ballooned up and when it came down, it bounced back into the air. The student pilot stated that he 'pushed down nose to correct for lifting,' and could not recover. The nose wheel struck the runway, collapsing the nose gear. The airplane slid into the grass infield and came to rest in an upright position. No mechanical problems were found with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On October 11, 1998, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150L, N11951, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at the Washington Executive-Hyde Airport, Clinton, Maryland. The certificated student pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Hyde Airport, about 1000.
According to the flight instructor, who was positioned near the end of the runway with a hand held radio, the student pilot was on his second supervised solo flight. He recalled that the student pilot had completed eight landings prior to the accident.
The student pilot reported that everything was the same as his previous landings, except over the numbers (on the runway), the airplane "experienced an updraft." He stated that the airplane ballooned up, and when it came down, it bounced back into the air. He pushed "down nose, to correct for lifting" and could not flare soon enough to recover. The nose wheel struck the runway, collapsing the nose gear and the airplane slid into the grass infield coming to rest in an upright position.
A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector examined the wreckage on October 12, 1998. The Inspector reported that in addition to the nose gear collapsing, the engine casing was punctured, and both wings incurred spar damage. No pre-impact mechanical malfunctions were found with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11951
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15075729
- Airframe hours
- 5,251
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A48, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- American Aerodyne Services
- Registered owner
- Robert Falkenstein/Milt Gilley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 1998 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- W32
- Destination
- W32
- Airport
- W32 · Washington Executive/Hyde, runway 5, 3,000 × 50 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17 total · 17 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ADW, 4 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.