- Date
- September 13, 2008, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N24342Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20080913849719A
- Case key
- 68930
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's improper use of the throttle control.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student pilot was on a solo cross-country flight and was landing at his planned destination. During the landing flare, he added engine power to help arrest the rate of descent, but after making a smooth successful touchdown, he forgot to reduce the engine power back to idle. With significantly greater than idle power being produced by the engine, the pilot lost directional control during his attempt to slow the airplane. The airplane veered off the runway and impacted a wall of boulders that had been erected as a barrier.
Factual narrative
The student pilot, who was on a solo cross-country flight, was landing at his planned destination. During the landing flare, he added engine power to help arrest the rate of descent, but after making a smooth successful touchdown, he forgot to reduce the engine power. During his attempt to slow the airplane, with significantly greater than idle power being produced by the engine, the pilot lost directional control. After departing the runway, the airplane impacted a wall of boulders that had been erected as a barrier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24342
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280227
- Engine
- Continental O-235L2C, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flying Vikings
- Registered owner
- Flying Vikings
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KHWD · Hayward, CA
- Destination
- O22 · Columbia, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- O22 · Columbia Airport, runway 35, 4,670 × 75 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 66 total · 66 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.