- Date
- January 1, 1993, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fuquay-Varina, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N714XNCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930101000069A
- Case key
- 8718
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 poor judgement of the flight instructor in allowing his student to return from a cross country at night, and the student pilot's failure to maintain a proper altitude on final approach. Factors were the dark night conditions, the trees below the final approach path, the failure of the pilot to utilize the aircraft landing light, and the student pilot's lack of total experience in night flying.
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 had planned a solo cross country in preparation for the private pilot certificate. When he reached his first destination airport, he could not obtain fuel because of the new years holiday. He flew to another nearby airport, and he could not obtain fuel there either. Finally he was able to locate an open FBO and proceeded there for fuel. He informed his instructor via telephone that he had been delayed and asked for someone to fly down and pick him up, since he might not make it back prior to sunset. The instructor told him to fuel the airplane and return home. During the return leg, it became dark. While established on final approach for landing, the airplane collided with trees located under the final approach course. The pilot later reported that he never saw the trees, and he failed to utilize the aircraft landing light. The pilot had a total flight time of 57 hours, including 3 at hours at night. His previous night flight was flown 5 months prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N714XN
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279515
- Airframe hours
- 4,042
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Ron'S Aircraft Service
- Registered owner
- Kaloko, Arovna B.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- CRE · N. Myrtle Beach, SC
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 5W5 · Triple W Airpark, runway 34, 3,004 × 70 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 53 in this make and model · 13 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 16 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.