- Date
- October 23, 1997, 11:32 local (18:32 UTC)
- Place
- Torrance, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N89257Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 29982
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
failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during a touch-and-go landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve, an encounter with soft terrain, and a nose over. The sudden gust of wind was a related factor.
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 pilot reported that during a touch-and-go landing, he encountered a sudden gust of wind and lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane then departed the runway laterally, went into soft dirt, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On October 23, 1997, at 1132 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N89257, was substantially damaged when it departed runway 29R and nosed over during a touch-and-go landing at Zamperini Airport, Torrance, California. There were no injuries to the solo student pilot or ground personnel, and no damage to ground facilities. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot stated that a sudden gust of wind just prior to becoming airborne caused the airplane to veer to the left, after which he lost directional control and departed the runway laterally into soft dirt. He also stated that there was no malfunction of the aircraft or its engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N89257
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1528292
- Airframe hours
- 7,328
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Kip K. Myers
- Registered owner
- Rolling Hills Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 1997 · 187 hours before
- Airport
- TOA · Zamperini, runway 29R, 5,000 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15 total · 15 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 4 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TOA