- Date
- November 1, 1990, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Maricopa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N757PZCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901101048859A
- Case key
- 27051
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 failure of the flight instructor to ensure that an adequate airspeed was maintained during the final approach for the existing wind conditions; to adequately supervise the conduct of the flight; and to arrest the rate of descent prior to touch down.
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 flight instructor said that the flight flew to the airstrip at Maricopa, Arizona, in order that the 16 hour primary student could practice takeoffs and landings. According to the flight instructor, the aircraft was on a stabilized short final approach with full flaps and at about 60 knots indicated airspeed. As the aircraft crossed a row of trees oriented perpendicular to the runway the airspeed suddenly dropped to 40 knots indicated and the aircraft entered a sink rate that could not be arrested prior to the aircraft landing hard on the runway. The instructor stated that the winds were about 15 knots down the runway with gusts to 25 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N757PZ
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279908
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sawyer Aviation
- Registered owner
- Unknow
- Departed
- PHX · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- PHX
- Airport
- E31 · Ak Chin Field, runway 17, 2,950 × 35 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
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 850 total · 300 in this make and model · 700 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N757PZ · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.