Primary finding
Probable cause
the student pilot's poor recovery from a bounced landing and improper use of the elevator control. The lack of total experience is a factor in this accident.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was practicing solo touch-and-go landings. The airplane ballooned on the last landing and began to porpoise. The student applied power to execute a go-around, but pushed the elevator control forward. The airplane's nose wheel collapsed when it struck the ground in an nose-down attitude.
Source record
Factual narrative
On October 27, 1994, at 0957 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N64851, sustained a hard landing on runway 26L at Brackett Airport, La Verne, California. The student pilot was practicing solo touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The airplane, operated by Cable Air, Upland, California, sustained substantial damage. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Cable Airport, Upland, California, at 0930 hours. The student's instructor reported in the aircraft accident report that the airplane ballooned on the initial touchdown and became airborne. The instructor said that during the recovery the student failed to hold the airplane's nose up and the airplane began to porpoise. The student applied power to execute a go-around, but accidently pushed the control wheel forward, which caused the nose to pitch down. The nose wheel collapsed when it struck the runway in a nose-down attitude. -