BFO95LA036

Factual narrative

On Sunday, March 26, 1995, at 1015 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N757JQ, operated as a solo instructional flight, collided with a tree during an aborted landing attempt at Garrett County Airport, near Oakland, Maryland. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured and the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Oakland, Maryland, exact time unknown. The student pilot had completed several landings with the certificated flight instructor (CFI), and the CFI decided to approve the student pilot for solo flight. The student pilot completed three solo touch and go landings and was landing to a full stop when the accident occurred. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, the CFI witnessed the accident. He reported that the airplane landed hard, then bounced and seemed to "float". The CFI stated that after full power was applied the airplane pitched down and impacted terrain left of the runway then nosed over. The student pilot stated that at touchdown "...the front started to shimmy ... I tried giving more power and pulled back on the yoke. It did not help. I then decided to do a go around.... heard the stall buzzer going off. I looked down, saw my speed was down to 40, so I tipped my nose over to get my speed up..." The aircraft impacted the ground and came to rest inverted. Post accident examination of the aircraft by a FAA safety inspector revealed no anomalies. The student pilot reported 23 hours of total flight time. THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRSPEED WAS LOW (40 KNOTS) AND THE STALL WARNING HORN ACTIVATED DURING AN ABORTED LANDING ATTEMPT. IN RESPONSE, HE PLACED THE AIRCRAFT IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE WHILE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND NOSE FIRST AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED 23 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12