Event FTW03LA009

Factual narrative

On October 10, 2002, at 1800 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 single-engine airplane, N520SU, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated by the Oklahoma State University Flight Center, Tulsa, and registered to Christiansen Aviation Inc., Wilmington, Delaware. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The flight originated from Tulsa at 1730. According to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), and in a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported the purpose of the flight was to practice various types of takeoffs and landings in preparation for the "end-of-course" checkride. The pilot stated that while practicing a short field approach, "I was trying to hit the numbers, but on short final I was not lined up correctly, and did not feel that I was going to make the runway." The pilot reported that after the airplane touched down hard and bounced, he added power and brought the nose up to an excessively nose high attitude. The airplane subsequently stalled and impacted the runway just to the left of centerline in a nose low, left wing down attitude, coming to rest in an upright position. An FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported the propeller and nose gear had separated, four feet of the left wing was damaged, and the firewall had sustained substantial damage. While practicing a short field approach, the pilot stated that he was trying to "hit the numbers" but was not lined up correctly. After the airplane touched down hard and bounced, the pilot added power and brought the nose up to an excessively nose high attitude. The airplane subsequently stalled and impacted the runway to the left of centerline in a nose low, left wing down attitude. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12