# NTSB LAX08CA012: Cessna 150M, N45720, Hillsboro, OR, October 14, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 13, 2007, 20:00 local (Oct 14, 2007, 03:00 UTC) - Place: Hillsboro, OR - Coordinates: 45.4286111111111, -122.942222222222 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.4286&lon=-122.9422&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 20, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 66923 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX08CA012 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/66923/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08CA012 ## Probable cause The pilot's misjudged and delayed landing flare that resulted in a hard landing and porpoise down the runway. Contributing factors in the accident were the night conditions and the optical illusion created by the narrow runway width and upsloping terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - light condition - night (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - narrow (contributing factor) - visual illusion, pilot in command (contributing factor) - terrain condition - uphill (contributing factor) - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - porpoise/pilot-induced oscillation - encountered, pilot in command ## Analysis The airplane hit the runway earlier than the pilot expected. The touchdown was hard and the airplane bounced several times down the runway, striking the propeller blades on the runway before coming to rest upright on the pavement. The pilot indicated that the night conditions, narrow runway width, and the upsloping terrain, led her to believe that the airplane was higher than it actually was (night optical illusion). She was setting up to flare for landing when the airplane hit the runway hard, and bounced down the runway. ## Factual narrative The pilot stated that she planned to flare for landing about 1/5 of the way down the runway; however, the airplane encountered the runway earlier than expected, landed hard, and bounced back into the air. The pilot decided to continue the landing as she was afraid that if she aborted the landing, the airplane would not clear the trees at the end of the runway. The second bounce was "very violent"; she found out later that the propeller blades had struck the runway. The pilot maintained direction control of the airplane as it bounced again. At that point she realized she needed to stop the engine, and "cut the mixture." Simultaneously as she reduced the mixture, the airplane bounced for the last time. The pilot stated that the runway edge lights provided the necessary information to maintain runway centerline while on final approach. While on short final, she lost sight of the runway. The combination of not being able to see the pavement, the night illusion involved with a narrow runway, and upsloping terrain, led her to believe that the airplane's altitude was higher than it was. According to the Airport/Facility Directory, Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark, runway 02's length is 2,465 feet by 48 feet in width. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N45720](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N45720), registered now, S/N 15077035, built 1975 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150M - Registry model: [Cessna 150M](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150m) (registry code 2071830) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15077035 - Engines: Teledyne Continental O-200-A reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Twin Oaks Airpark, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 7S3, HILLSBORO, OR - Destination: 7S3, HILLSBORO, OR - Airport: 7S3, Stark'S Twin Oaks Airpark, runway 02, 2,400 × 50 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 21; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review September 1, 2007; seat: left; flight hours: 487 total, 70 in this make and model, 259 as pilot in command, 59 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20071013022429A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071013022429A), Oct 13, 2007: Cessna 150M, Hillsboro, OR, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot in command made a bounced landing of N45720 on runway 02 at 7S3. The propeller impacted the runway surface, the nose gear strut failed, and a… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.