Primary finding
Probable cause
the student pilot's improper flare to touchdown.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor stated that the student was conducting his third supervised solo flight. The first two landings of the flight were uneventful. During the third flare to touchdown, the airplane began porpoising, then collided with the ground, veered off the right side of the runway, and nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On January 11, 1996, at 0830 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N93103, nosed over during an attempted landing on runway 5 at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida. The solo instructional flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the student pilot was not injured. The flight's initial departure time from Fort Myers was not determined. The flight instructor stated that the student was conducting a supervised solo flight. The first two landings of the flight were uneventful, but on the third flare to touchdown, the airplane began porpoising. According to the student pilot, he was on final approach and has aligned the airplane with the runway. The airplane touched down center line, and he held the nosewheel off of the runway for a moment. When the nosewheel touched down on the runway surface, the plane immediately went into a right skid. The airplane skidded off the right side of the runway and nosed over. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem; the student pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane. -