SEA03LA057

Factual narrative

On April 7, 2003, approximately 1545 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 152, N48733, was destroyed by fire after a hard landing at Bert Mooney Field, Butte, Montana. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by Butte Aviation, was destroyed by the post-impact fire. The 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight, which was initiated at the same location about two hours and fifteen minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation. According to the student pilot, he had been circling near the airport waiting for the gusty variable winds to become more steady. Reportedly, when he started his approach, there was a crosswind of about five knots, but just about the time he was going to start his landing flare, the aircraft encountered a stronger gust. This resulted in the aircraft ballooning upward. The student pilot attempted to correct the ballooning by pushing forward on the control yoke, but his actions resulted in the aircraft striking the runway hard enough to bend the firewall and to start a fuel leak in the engine compartment. The pilot exited the aircraft while it was still on the runway, and soon after he was out of the cockpit, the aircraft caught on fire. The pilot was able to put the fire out once, but it reignited, and the aircraft was ultimately consumed by the flames. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with any of the aircraft's systems or fight controls. The student pilot had been circling near the airport waiting for the gusty variable winds to become more steady. When he started his approach, there was a crosswind of about five knots, but just about the time he was going to start his landing flare, the aircraft encountered a stronger gust. This resulted in the aircraft ballooning upward. The student pilot attempted to correct the ballooning by pushing forward on the control yoke, but his actions resulted in the aircraft striking the runway hard enough to bend the firewall and to start a fuel leak in the engine compartment. The pilot exited the aircraft while it was still on the runway, and soon after he was out of the cockpit, the aircraft caught on fire. The pilot was able to put the fire out once, but it reignited, and the aircraft was ultimately consumed by the flames. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with any of the aircraft's systems or fight controls. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12