Cessna 152 N49276 accident near Scappoose, Oregon

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing flare in gusty crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing/abnormal runway contact, a partial nose wheel collapse and substantial damage to the firewall.

NTSB analysis

The solo student pilot reported that during the third landing of his first solo, the airplane was a "little high" on final approach. He further reported that during the landing flare, the right wing was lifted by a crosswind and the airplane bounced nose wheel first on the runway. Subsequently, the nose wheel partially collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane skidded to a stop on the runway.

The firewall sustained substantial damage.

The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The automated weather observing system (AWOS) at the airport about 7 minutes before the accident recorded the wind at 020 degrees true at 11 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The AWOS at the airport about 53 minutes after the accident recorded the wind at 330 degrees true at 8 knots. The student pilot reported that the landing was on runway 33.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA407 for the full record.