Cessna 152 accident near St. Augustine, Florida, January 18, 2001
On January 18, 2001 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N704ZF, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida (St. Augustine airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in the collision with the airport sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2001 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · St. Augustine · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N704ZF · no longer on the register · serial 15078997
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, he was conducting a supervised solo cross-country flight. Upon arriving at St. John County Airport, he established a visual approach to runway 13 for a full-stop landing. During the landing roll-out, the student pilot stated that the airplane entered a fog bank, veered off the left side of the runway, and collided with an airport sign. Witnesses stated that, at the time of the accident there was no fog in the area, or surrounding the airport. Weather conditions were clear with 10 miles visibility. Witnesses stated that, the pilot locked up the brakes and tried to exit the runway at the first taxiway. Inspection of the airplane did not reveal any preexisting discrepancies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 54 hours in all; 54 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 13, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,794.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 22, 2000; 72.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 42J Keystone FL at 7:07 pm
- Destination: SGJ St. Augustine FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 7,996 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from SGJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N704ZF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.