# Accident 19981231044939A: Cessna 152, Bowie, TX, December 31, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 31, 1998, 17:30 local time - Place: Bowie, TX - Airport: Bowie Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.5500° N, 97.8397° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5500&lon=-97.8397&mi=10 - Aircraft: N46285, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N46285-2015-05-11) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 152 (registry code 2071835, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 152 - Reported engine: LYC O235L2C - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,800 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW99LA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA064) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981231044939A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON DECEMBER 31, 1998, AT 1720 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 152 AIRPLANE, N46285, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR BOWIE, TEXAS. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND THE FOREIGN PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY AER MISTRAL, INC., OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT FOR WHICH A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE MEACHUM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, NEAR FORT WORTH, TEXAS, AN HOUR AND 42 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS DISPATCHED TO THE LOCAL TRAINING AREA FOR INSTRUMENT TRAINING. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TOLD THE OPERATOR THAT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THEY HAD BEEN EXECUTING PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES TO THE BOWIE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT UNDER THEIR OWN NAVIGATION IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE AIRPORT MANAGER REPORTED THAT THE PILOT OF THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE NEVER REPORTED HIS POSITION OR INTENTIONS ON THE OPERATIONAL UNICOM FREQUENCY. AN EYEWITNESS AT THE AIRPORT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD IN "ROUGH AND UNEVEN TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET TO THE WEST OF RUNWAY 35 ABEAM THE NUMBERS." THE WITNESS ADDED THAT THE AIRPLANE "DID NOT ROLL MUCH MORE THAN 50 FEET BEFORE IT FLIPPED OVER ON ITS BACK." THE 1,600 HOUR FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR FAILED TO REPORT THE MISHAP TO THE NTSB OR ANY OTHER AGENCY. THE OPERATOR RECOVERED THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE TO HIS MAINTENANCE FACILITIES IN FORT WORTH THE DAYAFTER THE ACCIDENT. AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE AT THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE FACILITY. THE EXAMINATION CONFIRMED THAT BOTH WINGS AND THE FUSELAGE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. THE AIRPORT MANAGER REPORTED THAT THE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENTS WERE FROM THE NORTH AT 5 TO 7 KNOTS. (.4) THE ENGINE LOST POWER DURING THE TAKEOFF PORTION OF A TOUCH AND GO LANDING DURING AN INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE LANDED HARD IN ROUGH AND UNEVEN TERRAIN, NOSED OVER, AND CAME TO REST IN THE INVERTED POSITION. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, HE AND HIS STUDENT HAD BEEN EXECUTING PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES UNDER THEIR OWN NAVIGATION, WHILE IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE 1,800-HOUR FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB, THEY HEARD A DIFFERENT ENGINE SOUND AND NOTICED A DROP IN ENGINE RPM. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ASSUMED THE CONTROLS OF THE AIRPLANE AND LOWERED THE NOSE. THE ENGINE RAN NORMALLY AFTER HE LOWERED THE NOSE; HOWEVER, HE WAS TOO LOW TO RECOVER. THE REASON FOR THE REPORTED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. (-23) ON DECEMBER 31, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 1720 CDT, A CESSNA 152, N46285, CRASHED AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 35 (AT 0F2) BOWIE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, BOWIE, TEXAS. VMC FLIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND STUDENT PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING TAKEOFF THE AIRCRAFT EXHIBITED A PARTIAL POWER LOSS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON RUNWAY 35, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED ROUGH TERRAIN APPROXIMATELY 180 FEET TO THE WEST AND 1300 FEET TO THE NORTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 35. WITNESSES AT THE SCENE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS WERE EMPTY, AND THAT THERE WAS NO SMELL OF FUEL OR EVIDENCE OF LEAKAGE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. ## 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 FTW99LA064](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA064), Dec 31, 1998: Cessna 152 (N46285), Bowie, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The hard landing due to the flight instructor's delayed remedial action to take control of the airplane when the engine lost power. Factors were the loss of engine power for an undetermined reason,… ## Other reports on N46285 (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19970423012449I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970423012449I), Apr 23, 1997: Cessna 152 (N46285), Fort Worth, TX, Minor damage. Narrative: the instructor was giving a student supervised solo (2nd). The winds were 10 to 15 knots. The aircraft ballooned during the landing flare,… - [Accident 19930503012269A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930503012269A), May 3, 1993: Cessna 152 (N46285), Waco, TX, Substantial damage. Struck powerline during go around from a engine out demo. Was able to return to base. Descended too low for safety. 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.