KOKOMO, IN, USA
N757UV
CESSNA 152
THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS RETURNING FROM A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY AND LANDING ON A 2048 FOOT BY 110 FOOT GRASS STRIP WITH LOW INTENSITY RUNWAY LIGHTS. THE THRESHOLD WAS DISPLACED 300 FEET DUE TO OBSTRUCTIONS. WINDS WERE CALM, IT WAS A DARK NIGHT, AND THE STRIP WAS DESCRIBED BY THE PILOT AS 'A DARK HOLE.' THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD, BOUNCED, AND LANDED NOSE FIRST.
On April 6, 1995, about 2130 eastern standard time (EST), a Cessna 152, N757UV, operated by Glenndale Air Service of Kokomo, Indiana, experienced a hard landing, bounced, and landed nose first. The airplane was substantially damaged; the private pilot and passenger were uninjured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, weather was clear with calm winds, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Glenndale Airport (8I3), Kokomo, Indiana, at 2000 EST, as a night pleasure flight. The flight had progressed to Marion, Indiana, then Wabash, Indiana, and was terminating back at Glenndale when the accident occurred. The runway is a 2048 foot by 110 foot, north-south, grass strip, with low intensity runway edge lights. The threshold is displaced 300 feet due to obstructions. The pilot described the runway and airport as "a dark hole."
The pilot misjudged the landing flare. Factors related to the accident were the dark light conditions and the pilot's lack of visual cues for the runway environment.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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