# Accident 19980628020759A: Cessna 152, Pottstown, PA, June 28, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 28, 1998, 13:00 local time - Place: Pottstown, PA - Airport: Pottstown Limerick Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 40.2493° N, 75.6401° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.2493&lon=-75.6401&mi=10 - Aircraft: N25858, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N25858-2011-09-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 152 (registry code 2071835, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 152 - Reported engine: LYC O320E2D - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA137](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA137) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980628020759A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON JUNE 28, 1998, ABOUT 1300 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 152, N25858, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A PRACTICE LANDING AT THE POTTSTOWN LIMERICK AIRPORT (PTW), POTTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A "TEXAS TAILDRAGGER" CONVERSION. ACCORDING TO THE STUDENT PILOT'S STATEMENT, HE MADE THREE UNEVENTFUL TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. ON THE FOURTH LANDING, THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, THEN BOUNCED, THEN TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN ON ALL THREE WHEELS. IT DRIFTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, SO THE STUDENT PILOT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER. WHEN HE FELT THE RUDDER WAS INEFFECTIVE, HE APPLIED RIGHT BRAKE. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR BROKE, AND THE AIRPLANE SPUN TO ITS LEFT. THE STUDENT PILOT DID NOT RECALL IF HE REMOVED THE POWER THAT WAS APPLIED AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE, NOR DID HE RECALL INPUTS MADE WITH THE YOKE. THE STUDENT PILOT'S INSTRUCTOR WAS WATCHING FROM THE GROUND AND OBSERVED THE STUDENT PILOT MAKE A THREE-POINT LANDING. HE STATED: "WITHIN SECONDS AFTER TOUCHDOWN, IT APPEARED (THE STUDENT PILOT)WAS HAVING A DIRECTIONAL CONTROL PROBLEM, AND FOR SOME REASON APPLIED HEAVY RIGHT BRAKE, WHICH FORCED THE AIRPLANE TO EXECUTE A HARD RIGHT TURN." WHILE IN THE RIGHT TURN, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SEPARATED, THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE GROUND, AND THE AIRPLANE SPUN ON THE RUNWAY ABOUT 140 DEGREES BEFORE COMING TO REST. (-23) IN AN INTERVIEW, THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS CONDUCTING SHORT PRACTICE SHORT FIELD LANDINGS TO THE RUNWAY, LANDING TO THE NORTH. HE HAD DEPARTED ABOUT 1250, AND CONDUCTED ONE TOUCH AND GO. DURING THE SECOND APPROACH, THE WINDS WERE FROM THE WEST (LEFT SIDE) AND THE LANDING WAS PLANNED TO TERMINATE AS A FULL STOP. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE TRICYCLE LANDING GEAR AIRPLANE WAS STRUCK BY A GUST OF WIND, AND THE LEFT WING RAISED UP. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE WING, AND THE AIRPLANE TURNED RIGHT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. THE TERRAIN SLOPPED DOWN, AND THE AIRPLANE REMAINED ABOUT RUNWAY HEIGHT, AS IF FLEW INTO A LINE OF TREES ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, AND CAME TO REST. THE PILOT REPORTED THE WINDS HAD BEEN VARIABLE AT ABOUT 5 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC98LA137](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA137), Jun 28, 1998: Cessna 152 (N25858), Pottstown, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's excessive application of the right brake, resulting in a ground loop. ## Other reports on N25858 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20020610013429I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020610013429I), Jun 10, 2002: Cessna 152 (N25858), Margate, FL. (-23) Pilot reduced power to descend from 5500 ft. at approximately 2600 ft. power would not come back up. At that time the pilot noticed that carburetor heat… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.