- Date
- September 17, 2002, 15:39 local (22:39 UTC)
- Place
- El Cajon, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5100BCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020917024889A
- Case key
- 55724
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 misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a hard 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 airplane touched down hard in a nose low attitude buckling the firewall and collapsing the nose gear assembly. The pilot said the accident occurred while he was attempting to land at the conclusion of his practice flight and that he "flared too high," and then the airplane's nose dropped. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced several times before coming to rest. No preimpact mechanical problems were experienced with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On September 17, 2002, about 1539 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5100B, landed hard on runway 27L at Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California. The airplane's nose gear assembly collapsed and the firewall buckled. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the student pilot was not injured during the solo instructional flight. The pilot was operating the rented airplane from Anglo American Aviation, Inc., El Cajon, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed. The local area flight originated from El Cajon at 1445.
The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that the accident occurred while he was attempting to land at the conclusion of his practice flight. The pilot indicated that he initiated the final approach and extended the wing flaps to the 30-degrees position. No mechanical problems were experienced with the airplane. The pilot further reported that while landing he "flared too high," and then the airplane's nose dropped. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced several times before coming to rest.
The pilot's total flight time (experience) was 56.9 hours. His total pilot-in-command flight time was 3 hours.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5100B
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283742
- Airframe hours
- 11,203
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Anglo American Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Christopher Watson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 10, 2002 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- SEE · El Cajon, CA
- Destination
- SEE · El Cajon, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SEE · Gillespie Field, runway 27L, 2,737 × 60 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 57 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.