Cessna 152 N5171B accident near San Jose, California

Probable cause

The student pilots unstabilized approach and improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot reported that, he was performing a solo flight with the intention of staying in the traffic pattern, when after takeoff he was distracted by noise in his headset. On the downwind leg, he unintentionally climbed above traffic pattern altitude while trying to resolve the issue. He then overshot the runway centerline on the final leg while still too high. He brought the power to idle and tried to lose altitude by performing a forward slip. The pilot stated he leveled off over the threshold and the airplane bounced twice after touching the runway. After attempting to regain pitch control, the airplane’s nose dropped, and the propeller and left wing impacted the runway. The left wing was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA029 for the full record.