NTSB Factual Report

On August 14, 2005, at 1630 central daylight time, a Cessna 150E, owned and piloted by an uncertificated pilot, received substantial damage on impact with terrain and fire during a hard landing on runway 18 (2,790 feet by 50 feet, asphalt) at Durand Municipal Airport (WI25), Durand, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was uninjured. The local flight originated from WI25 at 1600.

The pilot stated that "thermal conditions cause nose wheel to take hard hit." The nose wheel then collapsed, the propeller struck the runway, and a fire ensued.

Federal Aviation Administration records indicate that the pilot did not hold a pilot certificate, and he received his last airman medical certificate on November 14, 1997. The airplane received its last annaul inspection on June 17, 2002. The pilot flew a couple of hours per year. He did not keep a logbook record of his flight time, and he thought that he accumulated a total flight time of 200 hours.

NTSB Probable Cause

The inadequate flare during landing by the pilot. A contributing factor was the lack of certification of the pilot.