ERA23LA316

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · Maiden, NC · July 27, 2023

Accident · Minor injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal report
Date
July 27, 2023, 12:11 local (16:11 UTC)
Place
Maiden, NC
Injuries
2 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N6194QCessna 152
Defining event
Approach-VFR go-around: Collision during takeoff/land
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA/FSDO
FAA report
20230727015679A
Case key
192735

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

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the landing approach and go-around, and his delayed remedial action.

Findings · 2

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Action: delayed actionPersonnel issues › Action/decision · Instructor/check pilotCessna 152: 15 casesAll aircraft: 894 casesProbable cause
Attention/monitoring: monitoring other personPersonnel issues › Psychological · Instructor/check pilotCessna 152: 3 casesAll aircraft: 200 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The flight instructor and student departed on an instructional flight and flew to a nearby grass airstrip for pattern work. Although the flight instructor had flown into the airstrip before, he did not check the runway length before the flight departed and thought it was longer than the actual published 2,400-ft length. After arriving at the destination airstrip the, student entered left downwind for runway 13, resulting in a right quartering tailwind of about 5 knots. The flight instructor told the student to perform a short field landing. The student turned early onto the base leg of the airport traffic pattern, then turned onto final approach, resulting in the airplane being high and fast. After informing the student that the airplane was high and fast the student pitched the airplane down, which increased the airspeed, but he did not reduce power. The airplane continued to be high and fast, and somewhere before the midpoint of the runway the flight instructor told the student to go around. He repeated the instruction after the student hesitated. The student leveled off, added full power, removed carburetor heat, but left the flaps extended at 30° while he pitched for Vx airspeed. While climbing slightly, and with insufficient runway remaining to land, the flight instructor took the controls from the student and at that time realized the flaps were still at 30°. The airplane subsequently collided with trees beyond the end of the runway before descending to the ground resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. The flight instructor reported there was no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that the accident could have been prevented by executing a go-around much earlier.

Aircraft

Registration
N6194Q
Reported as
Cessna 152 (NO SERIES EXISTS)
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15285189
Built
1981
Airframe hours
19,000
Engine
Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Flight Level Aviation LLC, doing business as Race City Flight Operations
Registered owner
Pnl Aero LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility
Last inspection
Annual · July 20, 2023
Departed
14A · Mooresville, NC
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
N92 · Laneys Airport, runway 13, 2,400 × 75 ft, grass/turf
Equipment
Stall warning system, ADS-B

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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
25
Injuries
Minor
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
September 23, 2022
Seat
Right
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
886 total · 121 in this make and model · 797 as pilot in command · 184 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Role
Student pilot
Age
22
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
July 12, 2023
Seat
Left
Restraint
3-point
Flight hours
164 total · 3 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
230° at 3 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
90 °F, dew point 72 °F
Altimeter
30.15 inHg
Observed at
KIPJ, 6 nm away
METAR
KIPJ 271625Z AUTO 23003KT 10SM CLR 32/22 A3015 RMK AO2 T03220216

Docket · 6

The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 30, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.4 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.