Event CHI99LA116

Factual narrative

On March 22, 1999, at 1725 central standard time (cst), a Cessna 152, N757MJ, piloted by a student pilot, was destroyed during landing at the Bloomington-Normal Airport, Bloomington, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The student pilot who was the sole occupant reported minor injuries. The flight originated at the Bloomington-Normal Airport for a local flight at 1650 cst. In his written statement, the student pilot stated that he was practicing his soft field landing technique using runway 29 (6500 feet by 150 feet dry/concrete). The pilot stated that, during the approach to landing, he flared the airplane too high. The pilot stated that he then increased power to recover but the airplane banked to the left. The pilot stated that he landed hard on the left tire and that he applied full power to initiate an aborted landing. The pilot stated that, during this time, the flaps were in the 30 degree down position. The pilot stated that the airplane then stalled and the left wing struck the ground, the nose gear then collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted attitude. Post accident investigation of the aircraft revealed no pre-existing anomalies. In his written statement, the student pilot stated that he was practicing his soft field landing technique using runway 29 (6500 feet by 150 feet dry/concrete). He said that during the approach to landing, he flared the airplane too high, and he then increased power to recover, but the airplane banked to the left. The pilot stated that he landed hard on the left tire and that he applied full power to initiate an aborted landing. He said that during this time, the flaps were in the 30 degree down position. The pilot stated that the airplane then stalled, and the left wing struck the ground, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest in an inverted attitude. Postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12