Cessna C-152 accident near Columbus, Ohio, April 30, 2004
On April 30, 2004, a Cessna C-152, registered N70SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State University 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 flare, and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2004
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Ohio State University · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-152
- Registration
- N70SU · registry record · serial 15285151
- 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, during landing, when the airplane was about 10 to 20 feet above the ground, it encountered a wind gust which forced it into a climb. The student pilot then lowered the nose, and "overcompensated" with forward elevator pressure. The nose of the airplane contacted the runway, the airplane bounced, and then impacted the ground a second time, subsequently damaging the nose wheel landing gear. The airplane tilted forward, and slid to a stop on the remaining runway. The student pilot reported 45 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: 45 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,163 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 2004; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSU Columbus OH
- Destination: OSU
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,955 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
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.