- Date
- January 9, 1992, 08:05 local (12:05 UTC)
- Place
- Anchorage, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N69004Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19920109000979A
- Case key
- 5684
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during the aborted takeoff. Contributing to the accident were the partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, the icy runway condition, and the pilot's lack of total experience in the type of operation.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot, with 1 hour of solo flight time, was performing touch and go landings at night on a snow packed icy runway when the engine sputtered. The pilot lost control of the airplane during the aborted takeoff and collided with a snowbank. Discussions with the pilot could not ascertain the position of the carburetor heat control during the takeoff attempt. A post accident examination and run up of the engine revealed no anomalies. There was no instructor endorsement in the pilot's logbook authorizing night flight operations. The manner in which solo flight landings and takeoffs were to be performed was not stipulated by the flight instructor in the pilot's logbook.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69004
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282426
- Airframe hours
- 9,351
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph Wilbur, doing business as Flight Safety Alaska
- Registered owner
- Joseph Wilbur
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000 · 49 hours before
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- MRI · Merrill Field, runway 6, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 27 total · 20 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 18,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N69004 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.