- Date
- October 16, 1989, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- St Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4904BCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891016040749A
- Case key
- 34895
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
Directional control not maintained by the pilot in command. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind.
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 CFI rated pilot, occupying the left seat, said that he was getting a demonstration flight in the tailwheel configured aircraft, from the private pilot/owner, who was in the right seat. On about the 5th touch-and-go, in gusting crosswinds, directional control was lost, which resulted in a ground loop and substantial damage to the aircraft. Both pilots claimed the other pilot was pilot-in-command (PIC). The left seat pilot did not have endorsement or currency in tailwheel equipped aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4904B
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283699
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John T. Sigman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- SUS · St Louis, MO
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit Of St Louis, runway 8L, 3,800 × 75 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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 700 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- SUS, 1 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.
Other investigations on N4904B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.