Cessna 152 Safety Record

PILOT'S TEMPORARY PHYSICAL CONDITION (POSSIBLE HYPERVENTILATION OR ANXIETY ATTACK). SOFT TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A RELATED FACTOR.

THE PILOT'S DECISION TO DEPART FOR HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT WITH LESS THAN REQUIRED FUEL, AND HIS IMPROPER USE OF THE COMMUNICATIONS RADIO WHICH RESULTED IN HIS CIRCLING THE AIRPORT AND EXHAUSTING ALL FUEL.

STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN OR MAINTAIN AIRSPEED DURING AN ABORTED LANDING, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL/MUSH. HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY ALIGNMENT AND THE DITCH WERE RELATED FACTORS.

IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT BECOMING LOST OR DISORIENTED, AND THE TREE(S) IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.

POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE STUDENT PILOT BY NOT FOLLOWING HIS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S DIRECTIONS ON HIS FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT AND BY NOT MAINTAINING A SAFE ALTITUDE, WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. RELATED FACTORS WERE: UNAUTHORIZED LOW FLIGHT BY THE STUDENT AND HIS STEEP TURN (MANEUVER) AT LOW ALTITUDE.

INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE FLIGHT BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI), FAILURE OF BOTH THE STUDENT AND THE CFI TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE STATIC LINE, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOTS TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE POWER LINE/STATIC WIRE. THE STATIC WIRE WAS A RELATED FACTOR.

INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS BY THE STUDENT PILOT, AND INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), WHICH RESULTED IN A FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: UNFAVORABLE (VARIABLE) WIND, DOWNDRAFT, AND THE VEHICLE.

THE PILOT'S DECISION TO ENTER INTO IMC WHILE FLYING UNDER VFR. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ACCIDENT WERE: LOW CEILINGS, POOR PLANNING AND DECISIONS, FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING AND NOT PERFORMING A WEATHER EVALUATION.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE OVER THE TERRAIN. RELATED FACTORS WERE: DARK NIGHT, SPATIAL DISORIENTATION OF THE PILOT, AND HIS LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE OF OPERATION (NIGHT FLYING).

IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE STUDENT PILOT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE TREE AND DITCH IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE STUDENT PILOT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PARKED AIRCRAFT, HANGAR, AND THE STUDENT PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.

AN INADEQUATE PERFORMED PREFLIGHT INSPECTION BY THE DUAL STUDENT AND THE INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE DUAL STUDENT BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT. CONTAMINATED FUEL WAS A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN CURRENT IN-FLIGHT WIND INFORMATION IN ORDER TO CALCULATE THAT HIS REMAINING FUEL SUPPLY WAS ADEQUATE TO REACH HIS FINAL DESTINATION. CONTRIBUTING WAS HIS INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING ROLL-OUT, WHICH RESULTED A GROUND SWERVE. THE PILOT'S RELATIVELY LOW LEVEL OF FLYING EXPERIENCE AND THE BERM BESIDE THE RUNWAY WERE RELATED FACTORS.

INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND HIS DELAY IN ABORTING THE TAKEOFF. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: MALFUNCTION OF THE FLAP SYSTEM, WHICH RESULTED IN AN IMPROPER FLAP SETTING FOR TAKEOFF, AND THE SOFT RUNWAY CONDITION.