No fatalities

12 Mar 2018: CESSNA 152 NO SERIES — SNOHOMISH FLYING SERVICE INC — Snohomish, WA

Snohomish, WA, United States

On 12 Mar 2018, a CESSNA 152 NO SERIES operated by SNOHOMISH FLYING SERVICE INC was involved in an aviation accident near Snohomish, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was caused by the pilot's decision to land with a tailwind and the failure to maintain proper pitch control of the aircraft while operating in gusting wind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 14 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot experienced a wing strike and aircraft damage after encountering wind gusts during the landing flare at Snohomish.

What happened

On March 12, 2018, a Cessna 152, registration N6509L, was landing on runway 33 in Snohomish, Washington. During the landing flare, the aircraft encountered a wind gust that caused the airplane to pitch upward. The aircraft subsequently bounced twice during the landing process. On both bounces, the airplane touched down on the nose landing gear, which led to both wings striking the ground. There were no injuries resulting from the accident.

At the time of the event, weather conditions were VMC with visibility at 10 statute miles. While the pilot reported airport winds of 100° at 12 knots gusting to 30 knots, the aircraft was landing on runway 33.

The investigation

The investigation determined that the aircraft sustained substantial damage to both the left and right-wing spars.

Probable cause

The accident was caused by the pilot's decision to land with a tailwind and the failure to maintain proper pitch control of the aircraft while operating in gusting wind conditions.

Contributing factors

PilotPitch control — Not attained/maintainedEffect on operation