Cessna 152 N6165M accident near Livermore, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during final approach, resulting in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that after an uneventful cross-country flight, he returned to the airport to practice three landings. The first two landings were normal and uneventful. During final approach of the third landing, the airplane encountered a wind shear and, despite the pilot’s control inputs, the airplane entered a nose dive. The airplane impacted the runway and slid about 40 feet, substantially damaging the airplane’s firewall. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine prior to the accident. The accident airport’s weather observation system reported at the time of the accident wind from 300 degrees at 12 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by using higher than normal airspeed in gusty wind conditions.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10CA390 for the full record.