- Date
- October 24, 1989, 14:18 local (19:18 UTC)
- Place
- Thibodaux, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4973BCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 23068
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
Student pilot's failure to obtain or maintain airspeed during an aborted landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush. His failure to maintain runway alignment and the ditch were related factors.
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
The student pilot was attempting a normal landing. During the flare, the airplane drifted to the left of the centerline, the right wheel touched on the runway, & the left wheel touched in the grass. The pilot applied full power for a go-around. With the nose high, the airplane flew 40 to 50 yards at 6 feet AGL, then it yawed to the left. Subsequently, the left wing touched down, then the airplane rotated to the left & went through a ditch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4973B
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283733
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Gulf Air Enterprises, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Houma Air Service, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- LA37
- Airport
- LA37 · Thibodaux Muni, runway 8, 3,000 × 75 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
- 19
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 52 total · 52 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F