- Date
- September 20, 1992, 14:46 local (18:46 UTC)
- Place
- Gloucester, VA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N46076Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 9, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920920037759A
- Case key
- 11739
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 pilot's failure to recover from an intentional stall, which resluted in inflight collision with the ground. Pilot inexperience is a contributing factor.
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 26 hour student pilot was on her third supervised solo flight, the first outside the airport traffic pattern. She was instructed to practice several maneuvers, including power off imminent stalls, which she had performed on a dual flight, earlier on the accident date. Radar data shows the airplane doing several manuevers, including slow flight at an airspeed of about 65 knots. Preceding the accident, the airplane was at 2400 feet MSL and slowed to 41 knots airspeed. The airplane then descended 1000 feet in about 12 seconds before radar data was lost. The airplane crashed in a wooded area, striking trees in a steep descent angle. The airplane came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction. The flaps were full down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46076
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282996
- Airframe hours
- 5,084
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Usaf Langley Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Usaf Langley Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 1, 1992 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- LFI · Langley Afb, VA
- Destination
- LFI
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 26 total · 19 in this make and model · 23 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHF, 25 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.