Cessna 152 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 10, 2002
On October 10, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N520SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Richard Lloyd Jones Jr Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain airspeed. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to align with the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Richard Lloyd Jones Jr Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N520SU · registry record · serial 15285383
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing a short field approach, the pilot stated that he was trying to "hit the numbers" but was not lined up correctly. After the airplane touched down hard and bounced, the pilot added power and brought the nose up to an excessively nose high attitude. The airplane subsequently stalled and impacted the runway to the left of centerline in a nose low, left wing down attitude.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,262.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 2002; 25.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L26 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Oklahoma State University Flight Center (Tulsa)
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 10:30 pm
- Destination: RVS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1R, 4,207 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from RVS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.