Cessna 152 accident near San Antonio, Texas, May 1, 2012
On May 1, 2012 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N94500, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near San Antonio, Texas (Stinson Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 misjudgment of the landing flare, which resulted in a hard/bounced landing and subsequent impact with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2012 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · Stinson Municipal · 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
- N94500 · registry record · serial 15285692
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot intended to practice takeoffs and landings at a nearby airport. On the first landing, the airplane touched down on the main wheels and bounced. The nose landing gear subsequently impacted the runway, separating the nosewheel and landing gear strut. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and wing struts. The pilot noted that she had very little practice with straight-in approaches. In addition, she thought that using the traffic pattern to set up for the landing might have prevented the accident. The student pilot's logbook revealed that this was her second solo flight and the first time she traveled to the nearby airport without a flight instructor on board. She had logged a total of 1/2 hour of solo flight time prior to the accident flight. Several flights had been logged between the student pilot's home airport and the nearby airport with a flight instructor on board. The logbook contained a current solo endorsement and an endorsement for repeated solo flights between the airports involved.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- 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
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 6, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,376 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 30, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alpha Tango Flying Services Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX at 8:45 pm
- Destination: SSF San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,428 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 9:19 pm from SSF
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.
Other NTSB records under N94500 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.