- Date
- October 8, 2007, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmyra, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6252KCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20071008829819A
- Case key
- 66864
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 recovery from a bounced landing, and the CFI's failure to take 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
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot of the Cessna 150M completed at least three touch-and-go circuits at another airport before returning to the accident airport. The airplane flew the complete left hand traffic pattern, and the pilots intended to make a full stop landing on runway 31, a 1,950-foot-long, 40-feet wide, asphalt runway. The flaps were set to the maximum extension of 40 degrees. According to the CFI, the airspeed was "a little high" on the final approach leg. The airplane floated, touched down "hard," and then bounced back into the air. The airplane touched down a second time, exited the runway to the left, and struck a cornfield located approximately 150 feet from the runway edge. On impact with the cornfield, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. Both pilots were uninjured, and exited through the window on the right (co-pilot) side of the airplane. The recorded weather at an airport approximately 12 miles east of the accident site, about the time of the accident, showed winds from 260 to 280 degrees, at 5 to 7 knots. The temperature was approximately 31 degrees Celsius, with a dew point of 18 degrees Celsius. The CFI had approximately 720 hours of total flight experience, and the student pilot had approximately 30 hours of total flight experience. After the accident, the CFI reported that the accident could probably have been avoided if a go-around had been initiated early in the sequence.
Factual narrative
The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot of the Cessna 150M completed at least three touch and go circuits at another airport before returning to Reigle Field Airport (N58), Palmyra, Pennsylvania. The airplane flew the complete left hand traffic pattern. The pilots intended to make a full stop landing on runway 31, a 1,950 feet long, 40 feet wide, asphalt runway. The flaps were set to the maximum extension of 40 degrees. According to the CFI, the airspeed was "a little high" on the final approach leg. The airplane floated, touched down "hard," and then bounced back into the air. The airplane touched down a second time, exited the runway to the left, and struck a cornfield located approximately 150 feet from the runway edge. On impact with the cornfield, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. Both pilots were uninjured, and exited through the window on the right (co-pilot) side of the airplane. The recorded weather at an airport approximately 12 miles east of the accident site, about the time of the accident, showed winds from 260 to 280 degrees, at 5 to 7 knots. The temperature was approximately 31 degrees Celsius, with a dew point of 18 degrees Celsius. The CFI had approximately 720 hours of total flight experience, and the student pilot had approximately 30 hours of total flight experience. After the accident, the CFI reported that the accident could probably have been avoided if a go around had been initiated early in the sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6252K
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15077609
- Airframe hours
- 3,038
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Reigle Aviation
- Registered owner
- Reigle Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 2007
- Departed
- 9D4 · Myerstown, PA
- Destination
- 58N · Palmyra, PA
- Airport
- 58N · Reigle Airport, runway 31, 1,950 × 40 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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 720 total · 15 in this make and model · 526 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- cxy, 12 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.