No fatalities

27 Jul 2018: Cessna 152 No Series — Regal Air — Oak Harbor, WA

Oak Harbor, WA, United States

On 27 Jul 2018, a Cessna 152 No Series operated by Regal Air was involved in an aviation accident near Oak Harbor, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a first solo flight at an unfamiliar airport, a student pilot experienced communication issues due to a malfunctioning instructor radio. On landing, multiple bounces led to nose gear separation and substantial damage.

Flight Details

A student pilot conducted his first solo flight at an airport he was not familiar with, describing himself as "very nervous." The flight instructor carried a hand-held two-way radio to communicate with the student, but the radio malfunctioned, preventing communication during the solo pattern work.

Landing Sequence

On final approach, the student noticed the airplane was "getting too low, too fast and I added power." When he believed a landing was assured, he reduced power, causing the airplane to bounce. A second bounce occurred, and the student stated, "I knew something was up but at the moment I froze." The nose landing gear wheel struck the runway hard and separated from the airplane. The airplane then skidded to a stop.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts and the right wing.

Instructor Observations

The instructor reported that the accident could have been prevented if he had provided more training to address performance changes, since his 235-pound weight would not be occupying the right front seat during the solo flight.

Pilot Report

The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Student/instructed pilotLanding flare — Not attained/maintained