Cessna 152 N48733
7 April 2003 · Butte, Montana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 7 April 2003 at about 21:45 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N48733 was involved in an accident near Butte, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Butte, Montana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bert Mooney Field (BTM)
- Coordinates
- 45.9547, -112.4975
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152
- Registration
- N48733
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Butte → Butte
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA03LA057
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusty variable wind conditions and his improper flare. Factors include gusty and variable winds .
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The student pilot had been circling near the airport waiting for the gusty variable winds to become more steady. When he started his approach, there was a crosswind of about five knots, but just about the time he was going to start his landing flare, the aircraft encountered a stronger gust. This resulted in the aircraft ballooning upward. The student pilot attempted to correct the ballooning by pushing forward on the control yoke, but his actions resulted in the aircraft striking the runway hard enough to bend the firewall and to start a fuel leak in the engine compartment. The pilot exited the aircraft while it was still on the runway, and soon after he was out of the cockpit, the aircraft caught on fire. The pilot was able to put the fire out once, but it reignited, and the aircraft was ultimately consumed by the flames. According to the pilot, there did not seem to be any problems with any of the aircraft's systems or fight controls.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 152 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Salinas, California, United States | Squadron 2 | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Norman, Oklahoma, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 May 2003 | Cessna 152 | Pala, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Cessna 152 | Ocala, Florida, United States | Aeromax Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Ellensburg, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2003 | Cessna 152 | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States | Aero Executive Services Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
All 3,030 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2003 | Piper PA-18A-150 | Laurel, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18A | Zurich, Montana, United States | Prairie Aviation, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Piper PA-18 | Silver City, Montana, United States | David M. Hoon | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 2003 | Cessna 177B | Chinook, Montana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Jun 2003 | Piper PA-11 | Alzada, Montana, United States | Pilster, Lane R. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 2003 | Seabase (Avid) MAGNUM | Olney, Montana, United States | Rick Lynn | No injuries | - |