CHI97LA137

A witness observed the airplane performing aerobatic maneuvers over a valley where a 'Hog Roast' party was in progress. He stated that the airplane was flying in an scary manner as the airplane performed a loop. The pilot described the maneuver before impact as a 90 degree bank angle with negative g's and too low to the trees. There were no pre-mishap discrepancies found with either the engine or the airframe. The Pilot Operating Handbook states, no aerobatic maneuvers are approved.

On May 17, 1997, at 2052 eastern daylight time (edt), a Cessna 152, N4757B, was destroyed after colliding with terrain during a pull out of an aerobatic maneuver. The private pilot was seriously injured. The personal 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The flight departed a private airstrip called Shenandoah, Paragon, Indiana, exact time unknown.

According to the pilot's written statement, he only remembers planning a leisurely flight with a fueling stop at Bloomington, Indiana.

A broadcast interview at the hospital conducted by the TV station WISH out of Indianapolis, Indiana revealed the pilot making the following statement, "I made a mistake I guess. I had, I was in a steep bank and a lot of turbulence and got a little bit of negative g's out there and lost fuel pressure (the pilot used his right hand to show the airplane was in a 90 degree bank angle) and I was too low to the trees."

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector represented the NTSB during the on-scene investigation. The FAA Inspector stated the airplane was performing aerobatic maneuvers over a valley where a "Hog Roast" party was in progress. The owner of the property, where the airplane came to rest, saw the airplane performing aerobatic maneuvers over the valley prior to the mishap. The airplane was low on the last maneuver and subsequently collided with trees and came to rest in a rock quarry. The land owner stated that "...I saw the accident aircraft flying in a scary manner. Aircraft did a loop... ." "Aircraft appeared to be wing high all the way to tree impact to the ground. Aircraft appeared to not be in control."

Post-crash examination of the wreckage revealed the propeller did not remain attached to the engine and exhibited s-bending, twisting and chordwise scratching. All flight control surfaces were accounted for. All control cables were identified. There were no pre-mishap discrepancies found with either the engine or the airframe.

The Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) states,"No aerobatic maneuvers are approved except those listed: Chandelles, Lazy Eights, Steep Turns, Spins and Stalls." The POH flight load factor limits for this airplane are with flaps up: +4.4g, -1.76g's.