Cessna 152 N5101P accident near Durant, Oklahoma

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing, resulting in a porpoise.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that during landing, she reduced the power and after rounding out the airplane "ballooned high." She reported that she relaxed the elevator pressure slightly to hold the airplane in a level attitude, and that the airplane "sank fast and bounced back high several times." The propeller struck the runway, the airplane had a total loss of power, and the nose wheel tire flattened. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall.

The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot stated that the automated weather observing system was reporting wind conditions as 19 knots, gusting to 24 knots from 210 degrees before she entered the airport's airspace. She additionally stated that the crosswind component was more than 11 knots. Approximately five minutes prior to the accident time, the meteorological terminal aviation routine weather report stated wind conditions as 16 knots, gusting to 26 knots from 220 degrees.

As a safety recommendation, the pilot stated that she "should have prepared to go around anytime the approach was not as stabilized or try to land with a higher indicated airspeed or only two notches of flaps instead." She additionally discussed a "hazardous attitude" regarding the landing, with "macho – I thought I had landed successfully in gusty winds as strong as this before" and with "impulsivity – I really wanted to land as soon as possible."

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA116 for the full record.