MIA02LA005
NTSB Identification: MIA02LA005.
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Accident occurred Monday, October 08, 2001 in Greenville, NC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 4/25/2002
Aircraft: Cessna 152, registration: N4768Q
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

The pilot stated that the planned flight duration was 2 hours 45 minutes; approximately 3 hours into the flight he elected to divert to the Pitt-Greenville Airport due to fuel concerns. When near the airport he called on UNICOM which reported that the wind varied from the west/northwest direction at 10 knots. He entered the traffic pattern for runway 02 which was the active runway and elected to land with no flaps extended. He crabbed the airplane into the wind on final approach then when starting to flare, he lowered the left wing and applied right rudder input to align the longitudinal axis of the airplane with the runway. He further stated that the wind shifted suddenly at the time the left main landing gear contacted the runway which made a squealing sound. The right main landing gear then contacted the runway also making a squealing sound. The nose landing gear then touched down and collapsed and the airplane veered to the right coming to rest with the left wingtip contacting the runway. An automated METAR observation taken at 1300 hours local indicates in part that the wind was from 030 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots. Post accident examination of the normal brake system revealed no discrepancies. Additionally, the main landing gear tires did not exhibit any evidence of flat spots.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The improper flare by the pilot-in-command resulting in a hard landing and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear due to overload.

Full narrative available

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