# NTSB BFO94LA029: Cessna 152, N94963, Plymouth, MA, January 22, 1994 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 22, 1994, 11:40 local (16:40 UTC) - Place: Plymouth, MA - Location: 41.9088° N, 70.7276° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PLYMOUTH MUNI (PYM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9088&lon=-70.7276&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 14, 1994 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 8882 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=BFO94LA029 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/8882/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/BFO94LA029 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the flare/touchdown. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - flare/touchdown - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water collision with object, landing - flare/touchdown - object - other ## Analysis The student pilot reported that during the flare/touchdown a gust of wind raised the airplane's left wing and the right gear contacted the ground. The pilot stated that the airplane started to pivot to the right so he added full aileron and left rudder to get the airplane back on the runway's centerline. The airplane veered to the left and contacted a snow bank located along the left side of the runway. The right wing was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that the wind was coming from a magnetic heading of 330 degrees at a velocity of 15 knots. The pilot wrote under the Recommendations Section (How could this accident been prevented) on the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form, 'AMOS (Automated Service Observing System) at the [airport], [reporting] wind speed [and direction] have been INOP at least since May [1993], two of the most important items [needed] by pilots. [There is] no radio [frequency] available for in-[flight] AMOS.' ## Factual narrative On Saturday, January 22, 1994, at 1140 hours eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N94963, operated by Alpha One Flight School located on the Plymouth Municipal Airport, Plymouth, Massachusetts, and piloted by Bruce E. Dickinson of Onset, Massachusetts, sustained substantial damage during a landing after the pilot lost directional control of the airplane and it collided with a snow bank. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Safety Inspector, the student pilot was conducting touch and goes on runway 33 at the Plymouth Municipal Airport in Plymouth, Massachusetts, when the accident occurred. The student pilot reported, "In the flare, power idle, the plane floated a little, approximately 2 [feet] above the ground. I had my controls set and was controlling the cross wind. A gust of wind suddenly raised my left wing, the right main gear touched - the aircraft rolled and yawed to the right. I reacted by adding full aileron and pushing left rudder to straighten out the nose - the aircraft veered left facing the frozen snow bank and continued over the bank." The pilot reported that the local wind at the time of the accident was coming from a magnetic heading of 330 degrees at a speed of 15 knots. The pilot also stated that "...It was moderately bumpy over the tree line." Post accident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing tip and wing ribs were damaged and the firewall was buckled. No airframe or engine anomalies were reported prior to the accident. The pilot wrote under the Recommendations Section (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented) on the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form, "AMOS (Automated Service Observing System) at [the Plymouth Airport reporting] wind speed [and direction] have been INOP at least since last May [1993], two of the most important items [needed] by pilots. [There is] no radio [frequency] available for in-[flight] AMOS." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N94963](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N94963), registered now, S/N 15285825 (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: 15285825 - Airframe hours: 3485 - Engines: LYCOMING O-235-N2C 110 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Hyldburg Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, December 11, 1993, 57 hours before - Airport: PYM, Plymouth Municipal, runway 33, 2,501 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 55 total, 47 in this make and model, 19 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days, 7 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 250° at 10 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 25 °F, dew point 7 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: HYA, 32 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 19940122000919A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940122000919A), Jan 22, 1994: Cessna 152, Plymouth, MA, Substantial damage. Lost control landing in crosswind. Veered into snowbank. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; 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.