- Date
- September 7, 2003, 13:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Franklin, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4725BCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Richmond
- FAA report
- 20030907030269A
- Case key
- 57881
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 student pilot's improper 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 student pilot was landing on a 4,977-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. He stated that everything appeared to progress normally until the point of the flare. At that time, the airplane ballooned and he pushed the nose of the airplane down. The nose wheel struck the runway and collapsed. The student pilot further stated that he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions. He added that the windsock registered little, if any wind.
Factual narrative
On September 7, 2003, about 1345 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N4725B, was substantially damaged while landing at the Franklin Municipal Airport (FKN), Franklin, Virginia. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed the Chesterfield County Airport (FCI), Richmond, Virginia. The solo instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The student pilot stated that he was landing on runway 9, a 4,977-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. He further stated:
"...Everything appeared to progress normally until the point of the flare. The aircraft ballooned at which time I intended to relieved the backpressure to control the balloon. It would appear that I over corrected for the ballooning and pushed the nose of the aircraft down somewhat. The nose wheel hit the runway harder than it could tolerate and collapsed. At that time, the front of the aircraft hit the runway and the aircraft skidded to a stop...."
The student pilot said he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions. He added that the windsock registered little, if any wind.
The student pilot reported 53 hours of total flight experience, which included about 7 hours as pilot-in-command,
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4725B
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283599
- Airframe hours
- 10,566
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-N2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dominion Aviation Services Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 30, 2003 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- RIC · Richmond, VA
- Destination
- FKN · Franklin, VA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FKN · Franklin Muni-John Beverly Ros, runway 9, 4,977 × 100 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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 53 total · 52 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- FKN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.