- Date
- April 7, 1995, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Waco, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N94534Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950407007289A
- Case key
- 19388
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
Total loss of engine power for reasons undetermined. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.
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 instructor closed the throttle and applied carburetor heat to simulate an engine failure. The student configured the airplane for a forced landing approach and reviewed the engine restart procedures. When he realized he was too high for the selected field, the student deployed full flaps. The instructor noticed a high descent rate had developed and told the student to abandon the approach. The engine did not respond when full throttle was applied and the airplane collided with mesquite trees. The engine was later functionally tested and no discrepancies were found.
Factual narrative
On April 7, 1995, approximately 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N94534, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Waco, Texas. The commercial rated flight instructor received minor injuries but the student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The following is based on pilot/operator reports submitted by the flight instructor and student pilot. After practicing ground reference maneuvers in the practice area, the student was instructed to return to the airport. At an altitude between 1,300 and 1,500 feet MSL (above mean sea level), the instructor closed the throttle and applied carburetor heat and announced to the student a simulated engine failure. The student pilot configured the airplane for a forced landing approach to an open field and reviewed engine restart procedures. He then realized the airplane was too high for the field of intended landing. Full flaps were deployed. The instructor noticed a high descent rate had developed, and he instructed the student to abandon the approach. When the student pushed the throttle in, the engine did not respond. The airplane collided with 6-foot tall mesquite trees.
On April 27, 1995, the engine was functionally tested in the presence of several Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspectors. According to the FAA report, the engine accelerated smoothly between power settings of 750 RPM to 2,300 RPM; the throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat controls functioned normally, and no discrepancies were noted with the electrical and fuel systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94534
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285709
- Airframe hours
- 5,120
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-N2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Texas State Technical College
- Registered owner
- Texas Aircraft Pooling Board
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 22, 1995 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- CNW · TX
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
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,525 total · 1,126 in this make and model · 1,298 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACT, 8 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.