- Date
- March 13, 1995, 15:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Visalia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6277TCessna 150E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950313004759A
- Case key
- 29051
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 and his improper bounced landing recovery technique.
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
According to the operator, the aircraft entered a porpoise following a bounced landing. The pilot did not recover control of the aircraft prior to the nose gear collapsing.
Factual narrative
On March 13, 1995, at 1545 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 150E, N6277T, collapsed the nose gear following a porpoise from a bounced landing at Visalia, California. The aircraft was operated by Valley Aircraft of Tulare, California, and rented by the pilot for a local area personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft incurred substantial damage to the engine firewall. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at Tulare on the day of the accident at 1435.
According to the operator, the aircraft entered a porpoise following a bounced landing. The pilot did not recover control of the aircraft prior to the nose gear collapsing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6277T
- Reported as
- Cessna 150E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15060977
- Airframe hours
- 5,530
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Valley Aircraft
- Registered owner
- Michael Schoenau
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1994 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- TLR · Tulare, CA
- Destination
- VIS
- Airport
- VIS · Visalia Muni, runway 30, 6,556 × 150 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 156 total · 107 in this make and model · 114 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.