- Date
- February 28, 2003, 11:21 local (16:21 UTC)
- Place
- Columbus, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N170SUCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030228004109A
- Case key
- 56556
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 misjudgment of distance/altitude and the instructor's delayed remedial action,
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
A flight instructor and student pilot had been performing touch and go landings on runway 27R, which was 2,994 feet long and 100 feet wide. During the accident approach, the student had set 20 degrees of flaps and established 62 knots of indicated airspeed. The CFI observed the airplane descend below the "glidepath," and instructed the student pilot to add power. After a few seconds, the student added about 50 rpms of power, and the CFI told the student to add more power. When the student didn't respond, the CFI attempted to add power himself; however, the student's hand remained over the throttle, and he was unable to add power. The CFI then started to flare the airplane for landing. The airplane touched down about 20 feet prior to the runway in snow, where it pitched forward on its nose, and the nose gear collapsed. The winds at the airport were reported to be calm.
Factual narrative
On February 28, 2003, at 1121 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N170SU, was substantially damaged during landing at the Ohio State University Airport (OSU), Columbus, Ohio. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at OSU. No flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the CFI, they had been performing touch and go landings to runway 27R, which was 2,994 feet long and 100 feet wide. During the accident approach, the student had set 20 degrees of flaps and established 62 knots of indicated airspeed. The CFI observed the airplane descend below the "glidepath," and instructed the student pilot to add power. After a few seconds, the student added about 50 rpms of power, and the CFI told the student to add more power. When the student didn't respond, the CFIs attempted to add power himself; however, the student's hand remained over the throttle, and he was unable to add power. The CFI then started to flare the airplane for landing.
The airplane touched down about 20 feet prior to the runway in snow, where it pitched forward on its nose, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest about 30 feet beyond the approach end of the runway.
A weather observation taken at 1125, included clam winds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N170SU
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283248
- Airframe hours
- 11,544
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ohio State University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 2003 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- OSU · Columbus, OH
- Destination
- OSU
- Airport
- OSU · Ohio State University, runway 27R, 2,994 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- December 20, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 658 total · 452 in this make and model · 557 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 16 total · 16 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- OSU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.