Cessna 152 accident near Pullman, Washington, February 24, 2016
On February 24, 2016 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 152, registered N152LC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Pullman, Washington (Pullman/Moscow Rgnl airport). It was a personal 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 landing approach, which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent overstress failure of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2016 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pullman, Washington · Pullman/Moscow Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES, built 1978 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N152LC · no longer on the register · serial 15280840
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was practicing maneuvers solo in the local flying area. The student pilot reported that, just before touchdown, the stall warning horn sounded briefly and that the airplane landed in a flat, three-point attitude. The nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed, and the airplane started to veer to the right. The student pilot applied left rudder and left brake; however, the airplane veered off the runway into mud and nosed over. Postaccident examination of the NLG steering rods revealed an overstress separation, likely due to the hard landing. No evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction was revealed that would have precluded normal operation.
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 (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 23.8 in this make and model; 2.2 in the last 90 days; 2.2 in the last 30 days; 13.6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,691.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 8, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,676 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 6,700 hours total
- Operator: Inter-State Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: PUW Pullman WA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: PUW Pullman WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 6,730 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KPUW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 7, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Materials Laboratory | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.