IAD99LA039

The pilot reported he was landing back at his home station after flying in 'bumpy' conditions. He said the airplane touched down smoothly on Runway 27 but was blown back into the air by a wind gust. The airplane bounced, landed hard on the nose wheel, departed the runway to the left, and came to rest in the grass. The pilot reported 93 hours of total flight experience, but none in the 3 to 4 weeks prior to the accident. The winds reported at the time of the accident were from 240 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 19 knots.

On April 18, 1999, at 1341 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N24707, was substantially damaged during landing on Runway 27 at the Caldwell-Essex County Airport (CDW), Fairfield, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated at Blairstown, New Jersey (1N7), approximately 1300. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In a telephone interview, the pilot stated the purpose of the flight was to fly to the Blairstown Airport for lunch and return. The pilot said that the flights to 1N7, and the return flight, were uneventful. He said he was unable to receive the Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) at CDW on the assigned frequency, and was told the wind speed and direction by the control tower. The pilot said the winds were from 290 degrees, but he couldn't remember the wind speed. He said:

"I was on final for runway 27. It was very bumpy this day. I had full flaps, 30 degrees, and I was at 65 knots. Normally I do 60, but since it was so bumpy, I did 65 knots. I did my flare and it seemed to go well. I rolled onto the runway and a blow of wind blew me back in the air. I bounced, and after I bounced, I landed on the nose wheel really hard. The airplane departed the left-hand side of the runway and landed in the grass."

In a written statement, the tower controller said: "From the local control position I observed N24707 land RWY 27 east of [taxiway]'A'. N24707 landed on the nose wheel after porpoising a short distance. The nose wheel collapsed and the aircraft skidded a short distance and came to rest in the grass area west of 'A' and south of 27."

When questioned about the performance of the airplane, the pilot responded: "The airplane was running fine, no problems whatsoever."

The pilot said he received his private pilot's certificate in October 1998, and had accumulated approximately 100 hours of flight experience. He said all of his flight experience was in the Cessna 152. The pilot said that he had not flown in the 3 or 4 weeks prior to the accident.

The winds at CDW at the time of the accident were from 240 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 19 knots.