Cessna 152 accident near New Smyrna Beach, FL

On January 14, 2015, a Cessna 152 (airplane) was involved in an accident near New Smyrna Beach, FL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

January 14, 2015

Place

New Smyrna Beach, FL

Aircraft

Cessna 152 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

29.040°N, 80.895°W

NTSB ID

20150113X22629

Official records · ERA15FA099

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control Group Chairman Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control - Radar Data Points: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 13, 2015, about 2058 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N757ZM, collided with a public beach at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces. The airplane was registered to a private company and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Night, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated from Massey Ranch Airpark (X50), Edgewater, Florida, about 2040. Prior to the accident flight, the pilot, who was a Japanese citizen, contacted Flight Time Building LLC to purchase a block of flight time in a Cessna 152. According to the company's website, the company sold "blocks" of flight time to licensed pilots, with 50 hours being the minimum-sized block. The company normally dispatched an airplane to the pilot upon completion of a ground and flight "checkout." According to the owner of Flight Time Building, on the day prior to the accident, the pilot flew a local flight with an instructor, followed by a cross country flight with a safety pilot, who was an instructor-in-training. The owner reported that the pilot was not "signed off" for solo flight after the flights on January 12. The flight instructor stated that he needed to see "improved landings" before he could approve her for solo flight. On the day of the accident, she flew an undetermined number of local, solo flights without the knowledge of Flight Time B

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while operating under visual flight rules (VFR) in night, instrument meteorological conditions, likely due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the outcome was the radar controller's failure to follow published guidance for providing assistance to VFR pilots having difficulty flying in instrument conditions.

More accidents in FL

• Grumman G-73T, Dec 19, 2005
• Beech B90, Jan 5, 1994
• Beech B-90, Sep 3, 1999
• Cessna 182B, Feb 7, 1982
• Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47, Jun 7, 2012

Browse: Florida · Cessna aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.