- Date
- November 25, 1990, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Opa Locka, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N25053Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901125065409A
- Case key
- 32795
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 a positive rate of climb while maneuvering to avoid a flock of birds, resulting in an in flight collision with trees. Factor(s) included: attention diverted.
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 departed Opa Locka airport, Opa Locka, Florida, VFR en route to an outlying airport, to conduct touch and go landings while on a personal flight. No flight plan was filed. During a take off from the outlying airport, birds entered the airplane's flight path on the initial climb. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to avoid a bird strike, without establishing a positive rate of climb, and the airplane collided with trees. The pilot continued the flight back to the original departure airport and landed without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25053
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15280517
- Airframe hours
- 5,125
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kimura Toyoshi
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 20, 1990 · 95 hours before
- Airport
- runway 9, 5,002 × 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
- 21
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 464 total · 399 in this make and model · 309 as pilot in command · 139 in the last 90 days · 107 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OPF, 5 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.