- Date
- July 21, 1999, 14:56 local (19:56 UTC)
- Place
- Frisco, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5144LCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 23, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990721042779A
- Case key
- 46851
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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the simulated soft field takeoff.
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 49-hour student pilot lost directional control of the airplane during a practice soft field takeoff on runway 17. According to the student pilot, after the nose wheel lifted off of the ground, the airplane veered to left of the runway and came to rest nose low in a ditch. The pilot added that he 'lost control of the aircraft.' The wind reported at the time of the accident was from 190 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 21, 1999, at 1456 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, N5144L, was substantially damaged when it veered into a drainage ditch during takeoff from the Frisco Airport, Frisco, Texas. The student pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. The airplane was owned by a private individual and operated by Monarch Aviation of Addison, Texas. The local solo flight originated from Addison at 1415.
According to the enclosed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the 49-hour student pilot reported making a full stop landing on runway 17. He taxied back to the departure end of the runway to practice a soft field takeoff. The pilot stated that there was a "normal acceleration." At 55 knots, he began to pull back on the control yoke. The airplane's nose wheel lifted off of the ground, and the main landing gear wheels remained on the runway surface. The pilot added that within "one second the aircraft was completely deviated to the left" and impacted a drainage ditch to the left of the runway. The airplane came to rest nose low in a grassy area adjacent to the runway. The pilot added that he "lost control of the aircraft."
An aircraft mechanic stated that the right wing spar was bent up, the left wing was damaged, the firewall was buckled, and the propeller was damaged.
At 1447, the wind reported at the Addison Airport (located 10 miles south of Frisco) was from 190 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5144L
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284270
- Airframe hours
- 7,516
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Monarch Aviation
- Registered owner
- Sierra Papa, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 8, 1999 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Airport
- DDJ · Frisco County, runway 17, 5,450 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 49 total · 49 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ADS, 10 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.
Other investigations on N5144L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.