Cessna 150M accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, July 22, 2010
On July 22, 2010 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150M, registered N45220, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Knoxville, Tennessee (Sky Ranch 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 recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2010 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · Sky Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150M · all 150Ms on the register
- Registration
- N45220 · no longer on the register · serial 15076791
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, while landing, the airplane “bounced back up into the air.” The student pilot was "trying to ride it out," but when the airplane touched down again, the propeller struck the runway, and the nose landing gear collapsed. An examination of the airplane by the student pilot revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student pilot also reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions noted prior to the accident, and that the winds were calm.
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
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 5, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCY Greenville TN at 3:00 pm
- Destination: TN98 Knoxville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 2,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KTYS, 5 miles away
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.
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.