# NTSB NYC03LA158: Cessna 152, N49400, Gaithersburg, MD, July 14, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 14, 2003, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC) - Place: Gaithersburg, MD - Coordinates: 39.168334, -77.165832 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1683&lon=-77.1658&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 30, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57458 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC03LA158 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57458/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC03LA158 ## Probable cause The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an aborted landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, landing - aborted - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with object, descent - uncontrolled - object - tree(s) ## Analysis During the flight the student pilot performed three successful landings to runway 32, a 4,201-foot-long, 75-foot-wide runway. She then intended to perform a full-stop landing; however, during the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice. The student pilot then aborted the landing by adding full power and retracting the flaps. She "lost control of the airplane" during the climb, veered left of the runway centerline, and impacted trees. The student pilot stated that there were no wind gusts, and she experienced no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On July 14, 2003, at 0930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N49400, was substantially damaged during an aborted landing at Montgomery County Airpark (GAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the student pilot, the accident flight was her second solo flight. During the flight, she performed three successful landings to runway 32, a 4,201-foot-long, 75-foot-wide runway. She then intended to perform a full-stop landing; however, during the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice. The student pilot then initiated a go-around, by adding full power and retracting the flaps. She "lost control of the airplane" during the climb, veered left of the runway centerline, and impacted trees. The student pilot reported about 13 hours of total flight experience, all of which were in make and model. She stated that there were no wind gusts, and she experienced no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage, and the empennage. Winds reported at Dulles International Airport (IAD), Dulles, Virginia, 19 miles southwest of Gaithersburg, at 0851, were from 010 degrees at 4 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N49400](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N49400-2017-05-23), registration cancelled 2017-05-23, S/N 15281238, built 1977 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 152 - Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15281238 - Airframe hours: 6440 - Engines: Lycoming O-235 108 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Washington Flying Club - Registered owner: Ran Barlev - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 7, 2003, 10 hours before - Departed: GAI, Gaithersburg, MD - Destination: GAI, Gaithersburg, MD - Airport: GAI, Montgomery County Airpark, runway 32, 4,201 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 20; injuries: none; student; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 13 total, 13 in this make and model, 1 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days, 13 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 10° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 7,000 ft broken - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 64 °F - Altimeter: 30.18 inHg - Observed at: IAD, 18 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030714012969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030714012969A), Jul 14, 2003: Cessna 152, Gaithersburg, MD, Substantial damage. (-23) While practicing take-off and landings student bounced the aircraft and attempted a go around. During initial climb the aircraft drifted left of the… 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.