Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing resulting in the collapse of the nose gear and the subsequent nose over. A factor was an improper flare.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was conducting touch and go landings and was performing her second solo landing, when the accident occurred. Upon touchdown on runway 14 the airplane bounced, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane departed the runway to the left. After leaving the runway surface the airplane nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On Sunday, August 8, 1993, at about 0930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N25211, piloted by Ms. Susan Sexton, nosed over after landing at the Fryeburg Airport, Fryeburg, Maine. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91. According to the student pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2: ...on my second solo landing of that day the mishap occurred...3rd landing [of the day]. I touched down on the center line of runway 14. The plane bounced. The nose wheel collapsed and there was no rudder control. The plane swerved to the left...ran off the runway...nosed over and came to rest upside down." According to FAA Inspector, Dayton Mosher's report: ...evidence on the runway begins with 4' of rubber...a deep prop nick...15' of rubber, clear for 45'...15' of rubber...another deep prop nick...18 successive prop nicks starting...at approximately 30" intervals to a final interval of 102". The prop nicks continue for approx [sic] 56' followed by 25' of rubber until evidence of a cowling rub for 72' occurs. This entire sequence starts at the left of centerline and continues in a left curve to the soft dirt at the side of the runway. The acft [sic] slid in the soft dirt for approx [sic] 30' until flipover occurred...Ms. Sexton's statement to me was "landed, bounced harder than normal, nose wheel collapsed, lost steering... At the time of the accident the student pilot had logged a total of 96.8 flight hours, 13.9 of which were solo flight hours, and 72 flight hours in this make and model airplane. -