Cessna 152 accident near Elberton, Georgia, October 31, 2001
On October 31, 2001 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93550, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elberton, Georgia. 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 visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's in-flight decision to land in a field, which resulted in an on-ground collision with a berm. Factors were the student's inadequate training and inadequate supervision by the flight instructor on the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 2001 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Elberton, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93550 · registry record · serial 15285513
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot on a solo cross-country flight was unable to locate the airport for intended landing and decided to land in a field to study the VFR sectional. The student executed a soft-field landing in a field, and during landing roll, the airplane struck a berm. The student pilot's logbook showed 46 hours total flight time, with four-tenths of an hour total pilot-in-command time. The student had no local solo practice and did not know how to use the airplane's navigational and communication equipment to obtain position information when lost. Examination of the airplane revealed the nosegear had separated from the airplane, and the left wingtip displayed compression damage. There was wrinkling near the rear root assembly above the left wing flap, and the rear left wing spar was damaged. Fuel was observed in both wing tanks, and there was no evidence of, nor did the student report, any mechanical defect.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 46 hours in all; 38 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,859 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LZU Lawrenceville GA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 27A Elbert County GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from AGS, 45 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL02LA014.