ERA21FA274

The purpose of the local flight was to provide a discovery flight experience for a prospective student pilot. A witness reported that they saw the airplane flying about 100 ft above ground level, with “the wings swaying up and down” during its approach to land. The nose of the airplane was pitched upward, but suddenly the airplane pitched down before it impacted the runway, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. A postimpact fire ensued and the airplane slid for about 200 ft before coming to a stop. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. While a rudder control cable was found with several strands separated, the cable and the majority of its strands were otherwise intact, and it is unlikely that this contributed to the accident. Based on the witness report, it is likely that the airplane’s critical angle of attack was exceeded during the approach, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Given that the reported purpose of the flight was to provide an initial flight experience to a prospective pilot, it is likely that the flight instructor was either manipulating the controls, or was a least directing the manipulation of the controls, when the accident occurred.

On June 29, 2021, about 1427 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N25513, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ), St. Augustine, Florida. The flight instructor and a passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The purpose of the local flight was to take the passenger, a prospective student pilot, on a discovery flight. Radar data indicated the airplane departed SGJ at 1344 from runway 13. The airplane flew about 14 miles south, returned to circle the city of St. Augustine, Florida, then flew north along the coastline about 21 miles before returning to land. A witness observed the airplane approach runway 13 about 100 ft above ground level with “the wings swaying up and down.” He also stated the nose of the airplane appeared to be in a nose-up attitude before the airplane pitched down about 45° and impacted the runway. The impact was followed by a fire that engulfed the airplane as it slid about 200 ft before coming to rest. The airplane’s wreckage came to rest about 927 ft before the displaced threshold for runway 13 at SGJ, and the wreckage was oriented on a heading of 148°. All components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. Ground scars were consistent with the propeller spinner and left wing impacting the asphalt first followed by the nosewheel. Most of the cockpit, cabin, and instrument panel were consumed by fire. The inboard portion of the right wing was consumed by fire, including the fuel tank. Both the left and right forward and aft wing attach fittings remained connected via the attach bolts. The left wing sustained fire damage at the wing root, but the fuel tank remained intact and about 2.5 gallons of 100 low lead aviation fuel was drained from the tank. No debris or water was noted in the fuel. The tail section was consumed by fire. The empennage remained intact and attached the fuselage. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator was mostly consumed by fire. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator remained intact. The vertical stabilizer and rudder remained intact and sustained fire damage to the right side. Flight control continuity was established by tracing the flight control cables from the cockpit controls to the respective flight controls. The left rudder cable, which ran from the copilot side rudder torque tube to the left side of the rudder control horn, displayed 3 broken strands, and there were 4 remaining strands that appeared to be abraded. The area of apparent abrasion was located 92” from the cable connection at the copilot’s side rudder torque tube. Despite the separated strands, the majority of the remaining cable strands were otherwise intact. Crankshaft and valvetrain continuity were confirmed during a postaccident engine examination when the crankshaft was rotated using a tool inserted into the vacuum pump drive pad. Compression and suction wereattained from all four cylinders. The interiors of the cylinders were examined using a lighted borescope and no anomalies were noted. The carburetor was impact-separated, fragmented, and the fuel inlet screen was absent of debris. The propeller was impact-separated from the engine crankshaft flange, and found on the runway about 45 ft from the engine. Multiple slash marks, consistent with propeller strikes, were observed on the asphalt surface near the initial impact point.