- Date
- May 25, 2010, 12:42 local (19:42 UTC)
- Place
- Merced, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N69254Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100525005809A
- Case key
- 76115
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 pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Findings · 2
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 performing his first attempted landing on his second solo flight. He reported that, after touchdown, "the airplane bounced an unknown amount of times" until the propeller struck the runway and the nosegear collapsed. The student pilot stated that "as a result of my lack of experience I was unable to recognize an immediate go-around situation." The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the wing spars and firewall.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was performing his first attempted landing on his second solo flight. He reported that after touchdown, "the airplane bounced an unknown amount of times" until the propeller struck the runway and the nose gear collapsed. The student pilot stated: "as a result of my lack of experience I was unable to recognize an immediate go-around situation." The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the wing spars and firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69254
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282586
- Airframe hours
- 12,341
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- KS Aviation INC.
- Registered owner
- Ks Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 2010
- Departed
- KMER · Merced, CA
- Destination
- KMER · Merced, CA
- Airport
- KMER · Castle -Merced, runway 31, 11,802 × 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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 39 total · 39 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KMER
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 6, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 469 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.