Cessna 152 N5551L accident near Hollywood, Florida

Probable cause

The student pilot’s inadvertent encounter with thunderstorm conditions and her failure to maintain a proper landing flare in a crosswind, which resulted in a bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The solo student pilot reported that, while landing in a crosswind during thunderstorm activity, she feared that a go-around would put her into the storm. She added that the airplane bounced during the initial touchdown. She then applied "a bit of power" to recover, but the airplane porpoised, and the nose landing gear collapsed.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount.

The director of flight operations for the flight school reported that the student was endorsed for the solo cross-country, that she had received a weather briefing, and that she and her instructor had a briefing and discussion about the airfield and weather before her departure. He added that she was supposed to arrive before the summer storms started, but the storms came early.

The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The automated weather observation system at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 140° at 15 knots. The student landed the airplane on runway 10R. The observation further indicated thunderstorm activity and cumulonimbus clouds with occasional lightening in clouds and clouds to ground.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA18CA427 for the full record.