- Date
- February 19, 2013, 13:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Kelso, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89956Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 24, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130219002459A
- Case key
- 86267
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 inadequate landing flare and lack of remedial actions, which resulted in a hard bounced landing.
Findings · 4
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 reported that he reduced engine power while on final approach and that the airplane developed a higher sink rate than expected. The airplane subsequently landed hard and bounced three to four times, collapsing the nose landing gear and substantially damaging the firewall. The student pilot stated that he did not attempt to go around. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that he reduced engine power while on final approach, and the airplane developed a higher sink rate than expected. The airplane subsequently landed hard and bounced 3 to 4 times, breaking the nose landing gear, and substantially damaging the firewall. The student pilot reported that he did not attempt to correct the situation or to go-around and, that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89956
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282927
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- DLS · The Dalles, OR
- Destination
- KLS · Kelso, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- KLS · Southwest Washington Regional, runway 12, 4,391 × 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 3 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- KLS
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 29, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB 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.