On 14 May 2008, a Cessna 150 operated by Blue Skies Aviation of Wisconsin, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Pulaski, WI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by the student pilot's failure to take corrective action during a pilot-induced oscillation (porpoising) while landing, compounded by the pilot's lack of experience and the subsequent separation of the nose landing gear. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A student pilot's first solo landing resulted in a nose-over accident after the aircraft began to porpoise.
What happened
On May 14, 2008, a Cessna 150, registration N22997, was involved in an accident in Pulaski, Wisconsin. During the student pilot's first solo landing, the aircraft began to porpoise. The oscillations continued until the nose landing gear separated from the airframe, causing the airplane to nose over. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and there were no injuries reported.
The investigation
During the investigation, the student pilot stated that he lacked the necessary experience and knowledge to recover from the porpoising condition once it began. The investigation confirmed that the nose landing gear collapsed as a result of the continuous oscillations.
Probable cause
The accident was caused by the student pilot's failure to take corrective action during a pilot-induced oscillation (porpoising) while landing, compounded by the pilot's lack of experience and the subsequent separation of the nose landing gear.