Cessna 152 N95031

Summary

On 3 August 1999 at about 23:19 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N95031 was involved in an accident near Kenai, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 August 1999 at 23:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenai, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Kenai Muni (ENA)

Coordinates

60.6609, -150.8999

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N95031

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elmendorf Afb → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC99LA103

Nobody was injured.

The loss of control due to wake turbulence, and the issuance of an improper takeoff clearance by air traffic control personnel. A factor associated with the accident was air traffic control personnel's failure to issue a safety advisory.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo student pilot, on her first cross-country flight, was departing on runway 19R. Just after rotation, the airplane veered to the left, and went off the left side of the 7,575 feet long by 150 foot wide runway. The airplane came to rest in a ditch that borders the runway, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot stated that prior to her being cleared for takeoff, a DeHavilland DHC-8 departed from the opposite direction on the same runway. She said that about 2 minutes elapsed between the larger aircraft's departure, and her departure. The Air Traffic Controller's Manual (FAA order 7110.65M) relating to wake turbulence application, states that a 3-minute interval be observed between departures of large and small aircraft, and the issuance of a wake turbulence advisory before clearing the aircraft for takeoff. The manual identifies a DeHavilland DHC-8 as a large turboprop aircraft, and a Cessna 152 as a small aircraft. Review of air-ground radio communications tapes revealed that the total time separation between the two departures was 1 minute, 49 seconds, with no issuance of a wake turbulence advisory.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.