Cessna 152 accident near Hearne, Texas, March 4, 2010
On March 4, 2010 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6503M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Hearne, Texas (Hearne Municiple airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's decision to land with a quartering tailwind and his improper flare and recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2010 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hearne, Texas · Hearne Municiple · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6503M · registry record · serial 15284759
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a solo cross-country flight, the student pilot attempted to land with a right quartering tailwind. Unable to land during the first two attempts, the pilot elected to go around the pattern for a third attempt. During the landing flare the airplane’s nosewheel impacted the runway first and the airplane began to bounce. Shortly thereafter, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright and in a nose-low position. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane’s flight controls were reported. An examination of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained structural damage during the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,624 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ILE Killeen TX at 7:45 pm
- Destination: LHB Hearne TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 am from LHB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.