Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the student pilot to properly recover from a bounced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was returning from a solo flight and attempting to land. The airplane ballooned two times before landing on the nose gear, causing it to collapse.
Source record
Factual narrative
On March 8, 1994, about 1130 eastern standard time, N714MJ, a Cessna 150M, experienced a nose gear collapse, on landing at Vero Beach, Florida, New Hibiscus Airport while on a 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight. The airplane is registered to and operated by Citrus Grove Aviation Inc. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student pilot reported no injuries. The flight had originated from the same airport about 5 minutes earlier. The instructor pilot cleared the student pilot for a local solo flight and observed the airplane land hard on the first landing attempt. The airplane ballooned and landed on the nose gear, which collapsed, and the airplane veered off the runway. -