Cessna 152M accident near Forest, Virginia, May 8, 2002
On May 8, 2002 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152M, registered N63123, was substantially damaged in an accident near Forest, Virginia (New London Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's improper flare and failure to recover from a bounced landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 2002 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Forest, Virginia · New London Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152M · all 152Ms on the register
- Registration
- N63123 · no longer on the register · serial 15077119
- 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 conducting her second solo flight in the airplane. She had completed four uneventful full-stop landings; however, on the fifth landing attempt, she flared high and landed hard. The airplane began to porpoise and then departed the left side of the runway, where it nosed over and came to rest. The student pilot said she did not add power, or attempt a go-around during the landing attempt. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and had 32 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
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: 34 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W90 Forest VA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: W90 Forest
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,164 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from LYH, 7 miles away
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.