- Date
- July 23, 1985, 16:56 local (20:56 UTC)
- Place
- Mechanicsville, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N24787Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11137
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
After completing several low altitude passes over the family business, the student pilot extended 10 degrees of flaps and pulled the power back to slow the airplane in order to lengthen his viewing time. According to the pilot, after the accident, at between 75-100 feet of altitude, the nose pitched upward and the airplane stalled. The pilot felt sure that no mechanical problems were involved, since the airplane was flying normally prior to the stall. The aircraft subsequently collided with terrain at an approximate 65 degree nose down attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24787
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280379
- Airframe hours
- 3,194
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Leslie
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 7, 1985 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- W32 · Clinton, MD
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
- 19
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NUI, 18 nm away