- Date
- June 30, 1989, 07:55 local (14:55 UTC)
- Place
- Cordes, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5199QCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890630018649A
- Case key
- 26233
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 misjudged his altitude, while maneuvering at low altitude over mountainous terrain. Factors related to the accident were: high density altitude, mountainous terrain, and diversion of the pilot's attention.
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, who had 79 total hours of flight time, departed on his third supervised solo cross country flight. While en route to his destination, he began circling over mountainous terrain. The aircraft's altitude progressively lowered. A witness reported that after the third circle, the aircraft crashed & cartwheeled to a stop. The student had participated in civil air patrol flights & was acquainted with a protocol for 'contour' searching over mountainous terrain. An acquaintance of the pilot suspected that he might have been looking for indian ruins, while circling. The acquaintance also stated that a pilot could become fixated on an object during a contour search.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5199Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15285085
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aircraft Engineering & Svc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 1989
- Departed
- DVT · Deer Valley, AZ
- Destination
- P52 · Cottonwood, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 79 total · 43 in this make and model · 7 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 65 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRC, 28 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.