# NTSB ATL02LA034: Cessna 152, N25441, Clewiston, FL, January 7, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 7, 2002, 14:42 local (19:42 UTC) - Place: Clewiston, FL - Coordinates: 26.741945, -81.033332 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.7419&lon=-81.0333&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 29, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Fort Lauderdale FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 53988 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL02LA034 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53988/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=53988 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02LA034 ## Probable cause The student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind, and failure to maintain directional control. A contributing factor was a crosswind. ## Analysis The pilot made a cross wind landing to a closed airport. The pilot did not maintain or apply a cross wind correction with ailerons and experienced an in-flight loss of directional control. The airplane went to the left of the runway and the landing gear collided with fence posts and nosed down on the ground. ## Factual narrative On January 7, 2002, about 1442 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N25441, registered to Slow flight Inc., operated by Palm Beach Flight Training School under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight collided with the ground while attempting a landing at a closed airport in Clewiston, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the student pilot was not injured. The flight originated from Lantana, Florida, at about 1345. The student pilot stated she was on a solo cross country flight to Air Glades Airport located in Clewiston, Florida. She encountered some bad weather consisting of turbulence and thought she was landing at Air Glades Airport, but in fact made an approach to a closed airport. While on landing to runway 32, she encountered a crosswind condition but did not apply a crosswind correction. She experienced an in-flight loss of directional control resulting in the airplane going to the left of the runway and colliding with the ground in a nose down attitude. When asked how much experience she had in crosswind landings, she stated she had no experience and had not been trained. When asked if she experienced any type of mechanical failure or malfunction she stated no. Clewiston Police Department responded to the closed Clewiston Airport which is marked with yellow X's on the runway. A coast Guard helicopter landed and the crew chief went over and shut down the transponder and fuel line. The pilot was transported to a local hospital. Examination of the crash scene by the FAA revealed the airplane went off the left side of the runway striking several fence posts and came to rest on the ground on its nose. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, landing - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with object, landing - object - fence post - Nose down, landing ## Aircraft - Registration: [N25441](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N25441-2015-05-15), registration cancelled 2015-05-15, S/N 15280661, built 1977 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 152 - Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15280661 - Airframe hours: 3169 - Engines: Lycoming O-235 115 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Palm Beach Flight Training School - Registered owner: Slowflight Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, December 14, 2001, 42 hours before - Departed: LNA, Lantana, FL - Destination: 2IS, Clewiston, FL - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: 21S, Airglades, runway 32 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; injuries: none; student; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 37 total, 30 in this make and model, 17 in the last 90 days, 17 in the last 30 days, 17 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 16 knots, gusting 21 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,400 ft broken - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.02 inHg - Observed at: FMY, 60 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020107038479A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020107038479A), Jan 7, 2002: Cessna 152, Clewiston, FL, Substantial damage. (-23) Ms. Farrel-doyle stated she is a student pilot with 40 hours. She was conducting a 14 CFR part 91 solo cross-country flight from lantana, FL (klna) to… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 6, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=53988. 658 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 583 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40378371&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Clewiston Police Report (item 2, .PDF, 75 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40378373&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Clewiston%20Police%20Report-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.