FTW98LA023

Factual narrative

On October 18, 1997, at 0940 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, N93116, was substantially damaged when the nose landing gear collapsed following a hard landing at the University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport in Norman, Oklahoma. The solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to Christiansen Aviation, Inc., of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and operated by Airman Flight School, Inc., of Norman. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local instructional flight which originated at 0930. In a written statement provided to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC), the student pilot reported that he was making his first solo landing, flared the airplane "too high," and "bounced" the landing. He added power in an attempt to execute a go-around; however, the airplane touched down again, bounced, and then touched down nose wheel first collapsing the nose landing gear. The student's flight instructor witnessed the accident and provided a written statement to the NTSB IIC stating that the student "flared too soon allowing the aircraft to float." He further stated that the "aircraft's airspeed bleed off, [resulting in it] sinking rapidly toward the runway." Another witness reported that the "pilot pitched up too high and landed with a hard bounce on the main gear." The airplane then "bounced a second time, with all three wheels," became "airborne again and came down nose first." The nose landing gear "buckled," and the airplane "slid to a stop on its propeller." According to the FAA inspector who examined the airplane, the nose landing gear was bent back under the fuselage, and the propeller, engine mount, and firewall were damaged. During his first solo landing, the student pilot flared the airplane too high. Subsequently, a high sink rate developed and the airplane landed hard and bounced. The student pilot added power in an attempt to execute a go-around; however, the airplane touched down again, bounced, and then touched down nose wheel first collapsing the nose landing gear. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12