MIA96LA196

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 150M · Knightdale, NC · July 28, 1996

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 28, 1996, 13:15 local (17:15 UTC)
Place
Knightdale, NC
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N704WMCessna 150M
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report February 18, 1997
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19960728020169A
Case key
38060

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

the student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing by applying power and slight nose up elevator input.

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.

Hard landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Recovery from bounced landing - improperPilot in commandCause

Analysis

The accident occurred during the student pilot's second solo flight. He stated that he had performed 3 full stop landings and departed for the fourth. He initiated a flare to land about 20 feet above the runway then pushed on the elevator control. The airplane then landed on the nose landing gear and began to porpoise. The pilot applied aft elevator input but he did not apply power. He landed the airplane and taxied it off the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a wrinkle in the left fuselage skin aft of the firewall.

Factual narrative

On July 28, 1996, about 1315 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N704WM, privately registered, experienced a loss of control while landing at the Raleigh East Airport, Knightdale, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from the Raleigh East Airport about 35 minutes earlier.

The student pilot stated that the flight was his second solo flight and before the accident he had performed three full stop landings. During the fourth full stop landing attempt he flared to land when the flight was 20 feet above the runway. He then pushed on the elevator control and the airplane was landed nose landing gear first then began to porpoise. The student pilot stated that he did not apply power and pulled elevator control input while the airplane was porpoising. He landed the airplane and taxied it off the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a wrinkle in the left side of the fuselage aft of the firewall. Also, the nose landing gear tire was deflated.

Aircraft

Registration
N704WM
Reported as
Cessna 150M
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15078932
Airframe hours
4,800
Engine
Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Raleigh East Aviation
Registered owner
Casey P. Sloan
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
Last inspection
100 hour · July 15, 1996 · 10 hours before
Departed
W17
Airport
W17 · Raleigh East, runway 19, 3,000 × 36 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
38
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
22 total · 20 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
130° at 9 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 66 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
RDU, 17 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.