NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA16CA407
Registry · N49276
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 152
Year of manufacture
1977 · 39 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19780208
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A61AF2
Registrant of record
HILLSBORO AERO ACADEMY LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing flare in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing/abnormal runway contact, a partial nose wheel collapse and substantial damage to the firewall.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that during the third landing of his first solo, the airplane was a "little high" on final approach. He further reported that during the landing flare, the right wing was lifted by a crosswind and the airplane bounced nose wheel first on the runway. Subsequently, the nose wheel partially collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system (AWOS) at the airport about 7 minutes before the accident recorded the wind at 020 degrees true at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The AWOS at the airport about 53 minutes after the accident recorded the wind at 330 degrees true at 8 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 33. The solo student pilot reported that during the third landing of his first solo, the airplane was a "little high" on final approach. He further reported that during the landing flare, the right wing was lifted by a crosswind and the airplane bounced nose wheel first on the runway. Subsequently, the nose wheel partially collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway. The firewall sustained substantial damage. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observing system (AWOS) at the airport about 7 minutes before the accident recorded the wind at 020 degrees true at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The AWOS at the airport about 53 minutes after the accident recorded the wind at 330 degrees true at 8 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 33. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Ability to respond/compensate
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Ability to respond/compensate
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2016_GAA16CA407.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Poster
Sleep, Sleepiness, and Performance Across Three In-Flight Bunk Rest Opportunities
Introduction: Airline pilots are required to take a rest break in a bunk during long-haul flights in an effort to reduce sleepiness during critical phases of flight.
- Semantic Scholar 2020 · Article (Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy)
Routine opioid outcome monitoring in community pharmacy: Outcomes from an open-label single-arm implementation-effectiveness pilot study.
BACKGROUND In response to rising harms with prescription opioids, recent attention has focused on how to better utilise community pharmacists to monitor outcomes with opioid medicines.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2011 · Journal article (JAAER)
System Safety Study: Pedagogical Aviation Action Research
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