- Date
- December 2, 1986, 13:47 local (20:47 UTC)
- Place
- Great Falls, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4784ACessna 152A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861202072329A
- Case key
- 17155
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The student plt was cleared to make a touch-&-go landing on rwy 21. As he was lndg, he noticed the arresting barrier (cable) was raised. He added full pwr & pulled back on the yoke to avoid hitting the cable. The acft lifted off, but its tail hit the cable. At that time, the plt was unaware of any damage, so he continued flying (made a go-around). He advised tower psnl that the barrier cable was up & they lowered the cable. After landing, an inspn revealed the tail tie-down was missing & the rear bulkhead was partially ripped out & bent against the rudder. ATC handbook required tower personnel to keep the arresting gear in the retracted or down position for normal operation.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4784A
- Reported as
- Cessna 152A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A1520891
- Airframe hours
- 3,154
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- B & B Aircraft
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 23, 1986 · 50 hours before
- Airport
- GTF · Great Falls Int'L, runway 21, 10,502 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 34 total · 32 in this make and model · 23 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Observed at
- GTF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.