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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2020 · about 1:30 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Willoughby, Ohio · Lake County Executive · cases near this airport · 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 16, 2021. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | _memorandum for the Record Student Pilot Statement Summary CEN20CA371 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record FAA Inspector Findings CEN20CA371 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array CEN20CA371 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | 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
- N94589 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES 6,132 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lake County Executive · nearest airport
- Burke Lakefront Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,532 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN20CA371.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.