Cessna 152 N94565

Summary

On 30 April 2016 at about 20:06 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N94565, operated by Sundance Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Palo Alto, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 April 2016 at 20:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Palo Alto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palo Alto (PAO)

Coordinates

37.4419, -122.1431

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N94565

Category

Airplane

Year built

1983

Engines

1

Operator

Sundance Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palo Alto → Palo Alto

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA209

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's decision to takeoff in wind conditions that exceeded his certificated flight instructor's maximum wind endorsement, and the student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the touchdown, resulting in abnormal runway contact, and substantial damage to the firewall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot, during his fifth solo flight, he struggled to keep the nose straight during the landing on runway 31. He reported that during the touchdown the airplane porpoised, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. According to his certificated flight instructor (CFI), the student pilot was endorsed to fly the airplane in a maximum wind velocity of 8 knots. The meteorological aerodrome report (METAR) indicated that the wind at the time of the accident was 310 degrees true at 15 knots, gusting to 22 knots. According to METAR data the wind velocity exceeded the pilot's endorsed limitation at 0747 Pacific daylight time (PDT), and did not subside during the remainder of that day. The student pilot's solo flight commenced at 1259 PDT. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.