- Date
- October 14, 1989, 10:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Hillsdale, MI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N757GBCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891014040239A
- Case key
- 14578
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
Poor judgement of the student pilot by not following his flight instructor's directions on his first supervised solo flight and by not maintaining a safe altitude, which resulted in a collision with the terrain. Related factors were: unauthorized low flight by the student and his steep turn (maneuver) at low altitude.
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 plt was on his 1st supervised solo flt. Before takeoff, his instructor told him to make 3 takeoffs & full stop landings. After the 2nd landing, he departed the traffic pattern & did not acknowledge attempts to contact him on UNICOM. The plt's son-in-law rprtd he took pictures of the acft as it flew over his house. Subsequently, the acft was seen flying low over a golf course, before it crashed. Witnesses rprtd the acft entered a steep left bank before it disappeared below trees, seconds before impacting in an adjacent field. No preimpact mechanical problem of the acft or eng was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757GB
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279719
- Airframe hours
- 2,596
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hillsdale Aero, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 27, 1989 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- Y85 · Hillsdale, MI
- Destination
- Y85
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 20 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JXN, 20 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.