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Accidents · NTSB CEN11CA344 · Final report

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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
May 17, 2011 · about 4:45 pm local time · cases in 2011
Place
Carbondale, Illinois · Pinckneyville-Du Quoin Airport · cases near this 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

  1. Abrupt maneuver during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
  2. 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

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

1 document, released by the NTSB on June 7, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 14 pages View Download

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA344.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.