Cessna 152 accident near Willoughby, Ohio, August 24, 2020
On August 24, 2020 at about 1:30 pm local time, a 1983 Cessna 152, registered N94589, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Willoughby, Ohio (Lake County Executive 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper landing flare that resulted in a porpoise and collapsed nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2020 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Willoughby, Ohio · Lake County Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 No Series, built 1983 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N94589 · registry record · serial 15285740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was enroute on a solo flight to meet a designated pilot examiner for a check ride for his private pilot certificate. During the landing flare the airplane began to float. The student pilot tried to correct, and the airplane began to porpoise. During the impact with the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the propeller struck the runway surface. Inspection of the airplane revealed that the firewall sustained substantial damage, and the tubular steel mounts impinged the flight controls.
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 defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 73 hours in all; 73 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,420 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,669 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Haverlock Aircraft LLC
The flight
- Departed from: BKL Cleveland OH at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,028 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Observation at 9:35 am from LNN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN20CA371.