NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA04CA116
Registry · N218JA
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 152
Year of manufacture
1981 · 23 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19810824
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1D803
Registrant of record
WILDWOOD HELICOPTER CO INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's incorrect recovery following a bounced landing resulting in a hard landing and collapse of the nose landing gear.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 2004, about 1158 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N218JA, registered to and operated by Jones Flying Service, Inc., experienced a loss of control while landing at the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport, Sarasota, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight from the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated about 1150, from the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport. The student pilot stated that on the day of the accident prior to the accident flight, she flew with her flight instructor on two separate flights. During both, she performed touch-and-go landings. Following the second flight, her instructor exited the airplane, and the flight departed and remained in the traffic pattern where she performed one touch-and-go landing. The flight remained in the traffic pattern and during the second touch-and-go landing, the airplane touched down and bounced two times. After the second bounce she reduced power and lowered the nose but the airplane then bounced again. Following the third bounce, she heard the stall warning horn and the "nose dropped." She then heard the propeller contacting the runway. The student's certified flight instructor (CFI) reported the student's first approach was similar to the landings she had performed when he was in the airplane, and the approach for the second landing appeared good. He noted the flare was good and for some reason, the airplane bounced two times then touched down collapsing the nose landing gear. The student pilot stated that on the day of the accident prior to the accident flight, she flew with her flight instructor on two separate flights. During both, she performed touch-and-go landings. Following the second flight, her instructor exited the airplane, and the flight departed and remained in the traffic pattern where she performed one touch-and-go landing. The flight remained in the traffic pattern and during the second touch-and-go landing, the airplane touched down and bounced two times. After the second bounce she reduced power and lowered the nose but the airplane then bounced again. Following the third bounce, she heard the stall warning horn and the "nose dropped." She then heard the propeller contacting the runway. The student's certified flight instructor (CFI) reported the student's first approach was similar to the landings she had performed when he was in the airplane, and the approach for the second landing appeared good. He noted the flare was good and for some reason, the airplane bounced two times then touched down collapsing the nose landing gear. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2004_MIA04CA116.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 or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Semantic Scholar 2016 · Article (Interacción)
Trajectory Recovery System: Angle of Attack Guidance for Inflight Loss of Control
This paper describes the design and development of an ecological display to aid pilots in the recovery of an In-Flight Loss of Control event due to a Stall (ILOC-S).
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2010 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Approach — Colgan Air Flight 3407
Colgan Air 3407 / Continental Connection (Q400) Buffalo NY, February 12, 2009 — 50 fatalities. Definitive investigation of the Colgan 3407 stall-stick-pusher crash on approach to Buffalo.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research
Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recove…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Quadratic Programming Approach to Flight Envelope Protection Using Control Barrier Functions
Ensuring the safe operation of aerospace systems within their prescribed flight envelope is a fundamental requirement for modern flight control systems.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article
Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary comprehensive knowledge-base entry on Loss of Control In-Flight — definitions, contributing factors, accident case studies (Air France 447, Colgan 3407), and prevention strategies.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗