Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 152 near Redlands, CA — 2011-09-06

Final reportWPR11LA443
Sign in to save
Date
2011-09-06
Location
Redlands, CA, USA
Airport
REI
Aircraft
CESSNA 152
Registration
N4649L
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and failure to maintain airplane control while performing a simulated aborted landing.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during a solo training flight, which included an unusual attitude recovery from an aborted landing, he told the student pilot to set up the approach. As the airplane entered the landing flare, the flight instructor pitched the airplane for a higher-than-normal attitude to simulate a balloon effect. Once the airplane started to "slow/stall," the flight instructor told the student pilot to perform a go-around. The student pilot advanced the throttle full forward, but it took "a full second" for the engine to achieve full power, and, by that time, the airplane had stalled and was left of the runway centerline. The flight instructor took the controls and corrected the airplane to the right. The airplane subsequently struck the runway in a left-wing-low attitude, bounced two times, and came to rest adjacent to the runway. A witness to the accident reported that the engine was producing power at the time of the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
CFI should have covered ballooning recovery before attempting the maneuver.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

Related mishaps