- Date
- July 11, 1989, 01:41 local (06:41 UTC)
- Place
- Arlington, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N49056Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890711021369A
- Case key
- 22777
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
Poor judgement of the pilot, due to impairment from consumption of alcohol, and his failure to maintain proper altitude while maneuvering. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, the pilot's recent use of drugs, and his lack of flight experience.
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
A student plt with only about 14 hrs of flt time took the acft at night without authorization & depd on a flt. The acft was observed manuevering at low alt in the surrounding area, then the plt rtrnd to the arpt. Rprtdly, the plt bounced the acft on the rwy svrl times, while attempting to land. Subsequently, while maneuvering in an apparent attempt to land, the acft collided with a transmission line & crashed. Toxicology tests showed the plt had a blood/alcohol level of 0.34 gm% (0.34%); his urine tested positive for cannabinoids. A taxicab driver, who delivered the plt to the arpt, said he (the plt) smelled of alcohol & had a beer in his possession.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49056
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15281127
- Airframe hours
- 5,523
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cothron Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 8, 1989 · 88 hours before
- Airport
- F54 · Arlington Muni, runway 16, 4,000 × 100 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
- 24
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 13 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTW, 20 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.