- Date
- July 31, 1993, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5115BCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 1, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930731027279A
- Case key
- 11100
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
An inadvertent stall. A factor was the pilot's intentional buzzing at low altitude over the beach.
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 pilot said he wanted to take some aerial photographs of friends on the beach and he made several passes at the group. He reported that on the last pass, engine lost power and a forced landing ensued. The airplane nosed over in the soft sand. The passenger said the pilot was 'showing off' and 'the nose dropped.' A witness said the airplane appeared to stall. The engine was later functionally tested and operated satisfactorily.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 1993 at approximately 1730 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5115B, was substantially damaged during a forced landing 18 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. The pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated in his pilot/operator report that he wanted to take some aerial photographs of friends on Padre Island and he made "several circuits around the group." On the last circuit, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing on the beach. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear sank into the soft sand and the airplane nosed over.
The passenger submitted an affidavit in which he said the pilot was "showing off a bit, doing high rates of turns at low altitude and at slow speeds." He further stated that during one of the turns, the "nose dropped" and the pilot "couldn't get the nose up." The pilot "tried to increase the throttle and increase the flaps. Because of the increase in the flaps, the speed of the plane decreased further and the plane thus lost further altitude and crashed into the sand dunes."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who went to the scene, witnesses stated that the the airplane appeared to stall at low altitude before striking the ground. One witness said he heard the engine sputter and saw dark smoke coming from the exhaust. The engine was later examined and the lower spark plugs were found to be glazed and had excessive lead deposits. The engine was functionally tested and operated satisfactorily.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5115B
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283755
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Taylor, Thomas E.
- Registered owner
- Heldenfel, W. Daile Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RKP · Rockport, TX
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 300 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRP, 18 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.