NYC98LA137

The student pilot was doing a three-point landing while on his third touch-and-go landing during the flight . The airplane had been converted to a tailwheel configuration. According to the student, he drifted to the left and added right rudder. It did not seem effective, so he applied right brake. The airplane made a hard right turn, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane spun approximately 140 degrees to the left before coming to rest.

On June 28, 1998, about 1300 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 152, N25858, was substantially damaged during a practice landing at the Pottstown Limerick Airport (PTW), Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The airplane was equipped with a "Texas Taildragger" conversion. According to the student pilot's statement, he made three uneventful takeoffs and landings. On the fourth landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear, then bounced, then touched down again on all three wheels. It drifted to the left side of the runway, so the student pilot applied right rudder. When he felt the rudder was ineffective, he applied right brake. The left main landing gear broke, and the airplane spun to its left. The student pilot did not recall if he removed the power that was applied after the first bounce, nor did he recall inputs made with the yoke.

The student pilot's instructor was watching from the ground and observed the student pilot make a three-point landing. He stated: "Within seconds after touchdown, it appeared [the student pilot] was having a directional control problem, and for some reason applied heavy right brake, which forced the airplane to execute a hard right turn." While in the right turn, the left main landing gear separated, the left wing struck the ground, and the airplane spun on the runway about 140 degrees before coming to rest.