- Date
- February 13, 1992, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Macon, GA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N89071Cessna 152
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920213002929A
- Case key
- 8557
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 improper in-flight decision by the instructor pilot to attempt a precautionary off airport landing when no emergency existed. Factors related to the accident were the fog and low ceilings in the area at the time.
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 instructor pilot stated that after completing instrument training in the local area, he attempted to return to his departure airport. The approach was unsuccessful due to the low ceilings and fog in the area. He elected to proceed to his alternate airport and was executing an approach into the airport, when he observed a field below the aircraft. He elected to attempt a landing in the field because he did not believe the approach into the alternate airport would be successful due to the low ceilings and fog. When asked by the FAA inspector why he attempted the off airport landing when no emergency existed, the instructor pilot replied 'he did not know'.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89071
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282617
- Airframe hours
- 5,313
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Register Aviation
- Registered owner
- Register Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 29, 1991 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- 54A · Perry, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MCN · Lewis B. Wilson, runway 5, 6,501 × 150 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
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 505 total · 186 in this make and model · 382 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 53 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCN, 2 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.