- Date
- July 11, 1994, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Thermal, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N93839Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940711021249A
- Case key
- 28824
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 proper runway alignment by failing to properly compensate for the surface wind conditions. The crosswind and the loose dirt were factors in this accident.
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
During the last landing, the pilot failed to compensate for the crosswind conditions and allowed the airplane to drift to the left. The left wheel caught the edge of the runway and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The operator reported that the airplane did not experience any preexisting malfunctions or failures.
Factual narrative
On July 11, 1994, at 1630 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N93839, nosed over during the landing roll after exiting runway 12 at Thermal Airport, Thermal, California. The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules personal flight. The airplane, registered to and operated by Air Technical College, Riverside, California, sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Neither the United Kingdom certificated private pilot (United States student pilot) occupying the left front seat nor the certificated private pilot occupying the right front seat was injured. The flight originated at Redlands, California, at an undetermined time. The flight departed Imperial County Airport, Imperial, California, about 1530 hours.
Neither the operator nor the pilots reported this accident. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations inspector reported this accident to the National Transportation Safety Board on August 11, 1994.
The operator submitted the required aircraft accident report. He reported that the pilot rented the airplane for a round robin personal cross-country flight. The pilot intended to land at Imperial County Airport and Thermal Airport.
The operator said that during the landing flare at Thermal Airport, the airplane drifted off the centerline. During the drift, the airplane's wheel caught the runway edge and veered into the loose dirt. The airplane's nose wheel sunk into the soft terrain and flipped over.
The operator also indicated in the accident report that the airplane did not experience any preexisting malfunctions or failures.
The FAA inspector reported that the second pilot noted in the accident report form was flying the airplane and occupied the left front seat. The right front seat pilot rented the airplane from the operator.
At the time of the accident the left seat pilot held a United Kingdom private pilot certificate and a U.S. student pilot certificate based on a U.S. medical certificate. The right seat pilot had obtained a U.S. private pilot certificate.
The day after the accident, the left seat pilot requested and received a special purpose restricted private pilot certificate. The FAA issued the certificate based on his foreign private pilot certificate.
Neither of the pilots submitted the required aircraft accident report. Safety Board investigators were unable to contact either pilot. The left seat pilot returned to the United Kingdom the day after the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93839
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1528558
- Airframe hours
- 5,458
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Same As Registered Owner
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 10, 1994 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- IPL · Imperial County, CA
- Destination
- TRM · CA
- Airport
- TRM · Thermal, runway 12, 4,993 × 100 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
- 31
- Certificate
- Foreign
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 60 total · 60 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 15 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
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 N93839 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.