- Date
- March 19, 2009, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N95429Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090319002529A
- Case key
- 73573
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 flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing.
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 remained in the traffic pattern for his first solo flight and completed one uneventful touch-and-go landing. On the second landing approach, the airplane floated during the landing flare. The student pushed the control yoke forward and the nose gear of the airplane struck the ground. The airplane bounced, entered a porpoise, and the nose gear collapsed. During the landing sequence the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Factual narrative
The student pilot remained in the traffic pattern for his first solo flight and completed one uneventful touch-and-go landing. On the second landing approach, the airplane floated during the landing flare. The student pushed the control yoke forward and the nose gear of the airplane struck the ground. The airplane bounced, entered a porpoise, and the nose gear collapsed. During the landing sequence the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N95429
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285892
- Airframe hours
- 8,131
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Midstate Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Midstate Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 13, 2009 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- ELN · Ellensburg, WA
- Destination
- ELN · Ellensburg, WA
- Airport
- ELN · Bowers Field, runway 07, 5,590 × 150 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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 21 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ELN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.