CHI00LA166

Factual narrative

On June 17, 2000, at 1345 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 152, N6445P, operated by a private pilot lost control and collided with the runway on landing. The accident occurred during a landing on runway 33 (5,400' x 100') at the Mankato Municipal Airport, Mankato, Minnesota. The private pilot was not injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The 14 CFR Part 91 local flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight originated at the Mankato Municipal Airport, at 1330 cdt. The pilot reported he was practicing touch and go landings because he was "...a little rusty on my landings in a 152... ." He continued to report that he made the landing with a "... little extra power than what was required." He stated the airplane touched down on the numbers then it ballooned a couple of feet in the air. He reported that normally he would have added a little power and leveled the airplane, but with it ballooning just one to two feet, he thought he could just touch down "fairly smooth." The pilot continued to report that the airplane hit the ground harder than normal, but he did not think it was hard enough for the gear to collapse. Post accident inspection of the airplane revealed the nose gear collapsed, both propeller tips were bent, and the firewall was bent. In addition, the windshield was broken out and the left side of the engine cowling and left front door post were buckled. The pilot reported made the landing using a little more power then what is normally required. He stated the airplane ballooned one to two feet in the air on touchdown. The pilot did not add power and attempt to level the airplane as he thought it would just touch down 'fairly smooth.' The pilot stated the airplane contacted the ground harder than normal. The nose gear collapsed during the landing and damage to the firewall, propeller, and fuselage resulted. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12