- Date
- August 7, 2010, 20:57 local (Aug 8, 2010, 03:57 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6165MCessna 152
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100807042379A
- Case key
- 76901
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 failure to maintain aircraft control during final approach, resulting in a hard 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 pilot reported that after an uneventful cross-country flight, he returned to the airport to practice three landings. The first two landings were normal and uneventful. During final approach of the third landing, the airplane encountered a wind shear and, despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane entered a nose dive. The airplane impacted the runway and slid about 40 feet, substantially damaging the airplane’s firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. The accident airport’s weather observation system reported at the time of the accident wind from 300 degrees at 12 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by using higher than normal airspeed in gusty wind conditions.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that after an uneventful cross country flight he returned to the airport to practice three landings. The first two landings were normal and uneventful. During final approach of the third landing the airplane encountered “wind shear,” and despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane entered a “nose dive.” The airplane impacted the runway and slid about 40 feet, substantially damaging the airplane’s firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. The accident airport’s weather observation system reported at the time of the accident wind from 300 degrees at 12 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by using “higher than normal” airspeed in gusty wind conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6165M
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284634
- Airframe hours
- 6,993
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ahart Aviation
- Registered owner
- Ahart Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 2010
- Departed
- KMER · Merced, CA
- Destination
- KLVK · Livermore, CA
- Airport
- KLVK · Livermore Municipal Airport, runway 25R, 5,253 × 100 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 7, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 240 total · 53 in this make and model · 103 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Observed at
- KLVK
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 28, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 722 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.
Other investigations on N6165M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.