NTSB CEN20CA371 — 2020-08-24 · WILLOUGHBY, Ohio, United States

Current FAA registration · N94589

Make / Model: CESSNA 152
Year of manufacture: 1983 · 37 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19830411
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AD234D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N94589 Cessna 152 None

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s improper landing flare that resulted in a porpoise and collapsed nose landing gear.

Factual narrative

The student pilot was enroute on a solo flight to meet a designated pilot examiner for a check ride for his private pilot certificate. During the landing flare the airplane began to float. The student pilot tried to correct, and the airplane began to porpoise. During the impact with the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the propeller struck the runway surface. Inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage, and the tubular steel mounts impinged the flight controls. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA371.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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