- Date
- June 2, 1990, 13:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rialto, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N49796Cessna 152 II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900602017999A
- Case key
- 26829
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
Pilot's inadequate visual outlook which resulted in an inflight encounter with wake turbulence produced by a hovering helicopter.
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 Cessna 152II lost control and collided with terrain during takeoff. According to witnesses the airplane encountered the wake vortices of a hovering bell helicopter 412 immediately before the loss of control. The pilot in command indicated in his crewmember statement, that he was on the initial takeoff climb when he saw the helicopter hovering parallel to the taxiway. The airplane then encountered the helicopter's rotorwash. The pilot did not indicate in his statement that he took any evasive actions once he saw the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49796
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 II
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 81320
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- C.A.R.I. Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- L66
- Airport
- L67 · Rialto, runway 24, 4,500 × 75 ft
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 191 total · 107 in this make and model · 48 as pilot in command · 87 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBD, 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.