# NTSB MIA96LA213: Cessna 152, N89405, Lantana, FL, August 15, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 15, 1996, 14:10 local (18:10 UTC) - Place: Lantana, FL - Coordinates: 26.580757, -80.070968 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.5808&lon=-80.0710&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 16, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 38074 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA96LA213 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38074/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA96LA213 ## Probable cause the pilot misjudged the flare, resulting in a hard landing, and the nose gear collapsing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Hard landing, landing - flare/touchdown - flare - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - Nose gear collapsed, landing - flare/touchdown ## Analysis The flight had landed on runway 15. An FAA inspector, at the airport at the time, saw the airplane on the runway with the 'nose wheel collapsed.' According to his statement, '...the nose wheel was driven into the lower cowling with enough force to lock the control yoke in the full up position...[and] there appeared to be considerable wrinkling of the external skin on the fuselage and the wings.' The pilot stated, all he could remember was, when he lowered the nose, the airplane touched down nose first on the runway. The FAA inspector stated; '...I feel that it required extremely hard ground contact to cause the amount of damage that the aircraft sustained. Inspection of the runway surface showed that an initial heavy nose wheel strike occurred in the center of runways 15 and 21, followed by one prop strike indentation in the runway about 15 feet later, and then skid marks indicating that the nose wheel had collapsed and was sliding sideways.' The airplane came to rest on the right side of the runway, about 250 feet from the point of initial impact. ## Factual narrative On August 15, 1996, about 1410 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89405, was substantially damaged while landing at the Lantana Airport, Lantana, Florida. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight. The personal flight was being conducted in accordance with 14 CFR Part 91. The flight had landed on runway 15. An FAA inspector, at the airport at the time, saw the airplane on the runway with the "nose wheel collapsed." According to his statement, "...although I did not see the aircraft on approach or landing, it appeared the accident had just happened." The inspector stated that he talked to a mechanic at the crash site, who told him he saw the airplane on approach, and according to the mechanic, the approach "looked normal," but he did not pay attention to the landing. According to the FAA inspector's statement, "...the nose wheel was driven into the lower cowling with enough force to lock the control yoke in the full up position." One of the propeller blades was curled rearward and was embedded in the cowling. The inspector stated, "there appeared to be considerable wrinkling of the external skin on the fuselage and the wings." The pilot stated, all he could remember was, when he lowered the nose, the airplane touched down nose first on the runway. The FAA inspector stated; "Although the pilot stated that the landing was not hard, I feel that it required extremely hard ground contact to cause the amount of damage that the aircraft sustained. Inspection of the runway surface showed that an initial heavy nose wheel strike occurred in the center of runways 15 and 21, followed by one prop strike indentation in the runway about 15 feet later, and then skid marks indicating that the nose wheel had collapsed and was sliding sideways." The airplane came to rest on the right side of the runway, about 250 feet from the point of initial impact. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N89405](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N89405-1996-10-15), registration cancelled 1996-10-15, S/N 15282735 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 152 - Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15282735 - Airframe hours: 7853 - Engines: Lycoming O-235-L2C 110 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Genesee Airways Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 1, 1996, 15 hours before - Departed: LNA - Airport: LNA, Lantana, runway 15, 3,500 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 70; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 209 total, 208 in this make and model, 181 as pilot in command, 1 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 135° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,000 ft broken - Temperature: 88 °F ## 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 19960815035779A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960815035779A), Aug 15, 1996: Cessna 152, West Palm Beach, FL, Substantial damage. Impacted runway hard nosewheel first. Jammed nose gear into cowling. Wrinkled fuselage and wings. Curled propeller. 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.