- Date
- December 4, 1993, 08:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Millbrook, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5325PCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931204046029A
- Case key
- 38715
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 student pilot's failure to maintain direction control which resulted in an inflight collision with trees. Factors were the student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his inexperience.
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 student pilot was on his first solo flight. The airplane touched down with excessive speed, landed hard on the main gear, became airborne and hit a second time. After the second touchdown, the airplane bounced and while still airborne the pilot applied power to the engine. The airplane started to climb, but drifted to the left of the runway, and the left wing struck a tree.
Factual narrative
On Saturday, December 4, 1993, at about 0955 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N5325P, piloted by Mr. Edward A. Acito, collided with trees during a go around at Sky Acres Airport, Lagrangeville, New York. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, after turning to final approach he realized he was high and in an attempt to touch down at the desired point on the runway he increased the speed of the airplane. The pilot said, "...while performing [the] flare,[the airplane] ballooned due to excessive air speed..."
The student pilot's instructor [CFI] witnessed the accident, and according to the CFI, the student pilot was on his first solo flight, the airplane touched down with excessive speed; landed hard on the main gear; became airborne and hit a second time. After the second touchdown, the airplane bounced and while still airborne the pilot applied power to the engine. The airplane started to climb, but drifted to the left of the runway and the left wing struck a tree.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5325P
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284916
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Styles Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 44N · Lagrangeville, NY
- Destination
- 44N
- Airport
- 44N · Sky Acres, runway 35, 3,800 × 20 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
- 48
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23 total · 23 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- POU, 15 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.