# NTSB ERA16LA122: Cessna 152, N94569, Chester, CT, March 1, 2016 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 1, 2016, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Chester, CT - Coordinates: 41.383609, -72.505836 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3836&lon=-72.5058&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 1, 2017 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 92803 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA16LA122 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/92803/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92803 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16LA122 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 115 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 32 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 38 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) ## Analysis The private pilot completed a prerental checkout in the airplane and then departed for a local flight. Upon return to the airport, the pilot landed the airplane beyond the midpoint of the 2,722-ft-long runway, and the airplane then veered off the right side of the runway and impacted a fence. The pilot reported no anomalies with the brakes to the operator during his prerental checkout in the airplane. However, after the accident, he reported that one of the brakes felt "spongy" during the landing attempt. Postaccident examination of the brakes revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. ## Factual narrative On March 1, 2016, about 1130 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N94569, was substantially damaged during a runway excursion after landing at the Chester Airport (SNC), Chester, Connecticut. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane landed on runway 35, a dry, 2,722-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, asphalt runway. After landing, the airplane continued off the right side on the runway, through a fence, and came to rest in the grassy area. According to witnesses, the airplane touched down about 200 feet beyond the midpoint of the runway. In a written statement the pilot stated that during rollout the right brake felt "ok", but the left brake felt "spongy", and that the airplane failed to stop before it departed the right side of the runway. According to a flight instructor for the operator, he and the pilot flew together for approximately two hours on both the day before and the day of the accident to complete a pre-rental checkout for the pilot in the accident airplane. At no time did the pilot mention anomalies or malfunctions of the airplane's braking system. Postaccident examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector and an airframe and powerplant mechanic revealed substantial damage to the engine firewall. Functional testing of the brakes showed that they were operational and did not reveal evidence any pre- or post-impact mechanical anomalies. A detailed examination of the brake revealed that there were no signs of hydraulic fluid or damage to the brake lines, and the brake pucks were nominal in size with no abnormal wear. The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming O-235 series, 108-horsepower engine. The airplane had been operated for about 100 hours since its most recent annual inspection, which was performed on September 1, 2015. The pilot reported 1,300 hours of total flight experience, of which 75 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N94569](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N94569), registered now, S/N 15285731, built 1983 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 152 (NO SERIES) - 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: 15285731 - Year built: 1983 - Airframe hours: 6281 - Engines: LYCOMING O-235 108 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Chester Charter Inc - Registered owner: Chester Charter Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2015, 2,850 hours before - Departed: SNC, Chester, CT - Destination: SNC, Chester, CT - Airport: SNC, Chester, runway 35, 2,722 × 50 ft, asphalt - Equipment: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 1,300 total, 75 in this make and model, 1,200 as pilot in command, 4 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 39 °F, dew point 1 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: SNC ## 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 20160301004399A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160301004399A), Mar 1, 2016: Cessna 152, Chester, CT, Substantial damage. On March 1, 2016 at approximately 16:30 zulu hours a model C-152 aircraft with registration number N94569, serial number 15285731 with a single pilot in… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 24, 2017, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92803. 2.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448627&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Flight Instructor Statement (item 2, .PDF, 526 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448628&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Instructor%20Statement-Master.PDF - Witness Statement (item 3, .PDF, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448629&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement-Master.PDF - Witness Diagram (item 4, .PDF, 159 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448630&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Diagram-Master.PDF - Photo Array (item 5, .PDF, 139 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40448631&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%20Array-Master.PDF 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.