Cessna 152 accident near Greenville, Pennsylvania, June 23, 2005
On June 23, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46541, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, Pennsylvania (Greenville Municipal 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 nose gear collapse while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Pennsylvania · Greenville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46541 · registry record · serial 15283066
- 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 practicing takeoffs and landings on a 2,703-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During the flare for the fourth landing, the student pilot over-controlled and the airplane ballooned up. The student pilot then applied forward force to the yoke, and the airplane bounced on the runway twice, collapsing the nose gear. The airplane came to rest on the runway, and sustained substantial damage.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 25 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4G1 Greenville PA
- Destination: 4G1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,703 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,200 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.56 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from YNG
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.