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19971221039279A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Spring City, PA · December 21, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 21, 1997 · 14:50 local
Place
Spring City, PA
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N22LU
NTSB investigation
NTSBNYC98FA048
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Pilot’s flight hours
287 total161 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N22LURegistration cancelled Sep 10, 1998 · Cessna 152S/N 15280621Airframe modelCessna 152

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Acft crashed und unk circ, the 2 POB suffered fatal inj, acft was destroyed, vincent township, PA. (-23) lost control impacted 50 degrees nose down at full power. (.4)the private pilot and passenger were on a local flight, and a few minutes after departure witnesses saw the airplane flying level about 1,000 feet above the ground.. This was followed by a power reduction, a pitch up of the nose, and what the witness said appeared to be an entry into a stall. The left wing rotated 90 degrees down, followed by the nose which dropped down, and the airplane was pointed to the ground. The airplane rotated once on its axis, and then stopped rotating, but was still pointed down and accelerating. The nose of the airplane started to pull up, but the airplane impacted the ground prior to recovery from the maneuver. The witness reported that after the power reduction, he did not hear the engine, but did hear wind noise. No evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The leading edge of the horizontal stabilizers were bent down, and the wings were bowed up.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT CRASHED UND UNK CIRC, THE 2 POB SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED, VINCENT TOWNSHIP, PA. (-23) LOST CONTROL IMPACTED 50 DEGREES NOSE DOWN AT FULL POWER. (.4)THE PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE ON A LOCAL FLIGHT, AND A FEW MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE FLYING LEVEL ABOUT 1,000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A POWER REDUCTION, A PITCH UP OF THE NOSE, AND WHAT THE WITNESS SAID APPEARED TO BE AN ENTRY INTO A STALL. THE LEFT WING ROTATED 90 DEGREES DOWN, FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE WHICH DROPPED DOWN, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS POINTED TO THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE ROTATED ONCE ON ITS AXIS, AND THEN STOPPED ROTATING, BUT WAS STILL POINTED DOWN AND ACCELERATING. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO PULL UP, BUT THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND PRIOR TO RECOVERY FROM THE MANEUVER. THE WITNESS REPORTED THAT AFTER THE POWER REDUCTION, HE DID NOT HEAR THE ENGINE, BUT DID HEAR WIND NOISE. NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE BENT DOWN, AND THE WINGS WERE BOWED UP.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB NYC98FA048Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportSpring City, PAThe pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.Dec 21, 1997 · Destroyed