FTW00LA089

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · Fort Worth, TX · March 1, 2000

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
February 29, 2000, 18:25 local (Mar 1, 2000, 00:25 UTC)
Place
Fort Worth, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N48821Cessna 152
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Dusk
Status
Completed · report March 2, 2001
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20000229010739A
Case key
48697

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing. A factor was the crosswind condition.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding
Weather condition - crosswindFactor
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
In flight collision with objectLanding - aborted
Object - tree(s)

Analysis

During the landing on runway 32, the airplane touched down on the right main landing gear, bounced to the left main landing gear, and turned 45 degrees to the left. The solo student pilot added full power to abort the landing, and the aircraft started to climb; however, the left wing struck a tree. Subsequently, the airplane spun around, the left wing hit a railroad track, and the nose landing gear dug into the terrain. The airplane slid down the railroad track before exiting the track and coming to rest 60 feet west of the runway centerline. The student pilot was endorsed for solo flight, and he had accumulated a total flight time of 29 hours in the make and model aircraft. Wind was from 300 degrees at 6 knots.

Factual narrative

On February 29, 2000, at 1825 central standard time, a Cessna 152, single-engine airplane, N48821, struck a railroad track and terrain during an aborted landing near Fort Worth, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by Split S Aviation of Fort Worth, Texas, as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 solo instructional flight. The student pilot, sole occupant, was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from Hicks Airfield Airport, Fort Worth, Texas, for a series of touch and go landings.

The pilot reported that, during the turn from a right base to final approach for runway 32, he overshot the runway and corrected the ground track back to the left. During the landing/flare touchdown, the airplane touched down on the right main landing gear, bounced to the left main landing gear, and turned 45 degrees to the runway. The pilot added full power, and the aircraft started to climb; however, the left wing struck a tree. Subsequently, the airplane spun around, the left wing hit a railroad track, and the nose landing gear dug into the terrain. The airplane slid down the railroad track before jumping off the track and coming to rest 60 feet west of the runway centerline. Winds were from 300 degrees at 6 knots.

The FAA inspector, who responded to the site, found the engine mounts and firewall damaged. The left wing was buckled with the upper cabin area wrinkled and buckled. The aft fuselage was split and buckled. The nose landing gear and engine cowling were damaged.

Aircraft

Registration
N48821
Reported as
Cessna 152
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15280983
Airframe hours
10,260
Engine
Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner
Anthony W. Hodge
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
Last inspection
100 hour · January 27, 2000 · 67 hours before
Departed
T67
Airport
T67 · Hicks Airfield, runway 32, 3,740 × 60 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
50
Certificate
Student
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
31 total · 29 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Dusk
Wind
300° at 6 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 25 °F
Altimeter
29.00 inHg
Observed at
FTW, 7 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.