Cessna 152 accident near Carbondale, Illinois, May 17, 2011
On May 17, 2011 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6238P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Carbondale, Illinois (Pinckneyville-Du Quoin Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's relinquishing of the flight controls during the landing flare and the flight instructor's delay in taking remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2011 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Carbondale, Illinois · Pinckneyville-Du Quoin Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6238P · no longer on the register · serial 15284990
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that the student pilot had failed the Private Pilot check ride the previous week and that the accident flight was a flight review for the student. The student pilot performed a go-around on the first landing attempt because the airplane was too high on the final landing approach. On the final leg during the second approach, the airplane was on the proper glideslope and at the appropriate airspeed. The airplane was left of centerline and about 5 feet above the runway when the student pilot initiated the flare. The CFI reported that the student pilot suddenly relinquished the flight controls without warning, and the CFI attempted to salvage the landing. The student pilot reported that he relinquished the controls to the CFI and stated, “Your controls.” The right wing tip contacted the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to two ribs in the outboard section of the wing. The CFI did not recognize that the wing tip struck the runway, so the flight returned to the departure airport. The damage to the wing was discovered during the postflight inspection of the airplane.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,036 hours in all; 510 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 20, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 46 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,241 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Illinois University Board Of Trustees DBA
The flight
- Departed from: MDH Carbondale IL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: MDH Carbondale IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from MDH, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.