Cessna 150 N8752S

Summary

On 18 June 1989 at about 19:30 local time, a Cessna 150 registered N8752S, operated by PHN Air Inc, was involved in an accident near Port Huron, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 June 1989 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Huron, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

St Clair County (PHN)

Coordinates

42.9704, -82.4202

Aircraft

Cessna 150

Registration

N8752S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

PHN Air Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pontiac → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI89LA116

1 person was seriously injured.

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE STUDENT PILOT AND HIS INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. THE STUDENT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE WAS CONSIDERED A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON AN APCH TO LAND & WAS FOLLOWING A JUNKER JU-52 (A GERMAN, WORLD WAR II, TRI-MOTOR, TRANSPORT PLANE). THE WITNESS ESTIMATED THE STUDENT'S ACFT (A CESSNA 150) WAS APRX 1/4 MI BEHIND THE JU-52. THE JU-52 TOUCHED DOWN ON THE FIRST 1/3 OF THE RWY. AS THE CESSNA WAS ABOUT TO LAND, IT WAS AT APRX 20 TO 50 FT AGL, WHEN IT BANKED RAPIDLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE, THE NOSE PITCHED, & THEN THE PLANE CRASHED. THE STUDENT'S INSTRUCTOR & SOME WITNESSES SUSPECTED THE CESSNA HAD ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE JU-52.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.