Cessna 152 accident near Sanford, North Carolina, November 30, 2005
On November 30, 2005 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46555, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, North Carolina. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control on landing roll out, resulting in the airplane going off the left side of the runway, colliding with a ditch, and nosing over inverted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2005 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- 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
- N46555 · no longer on the register · serial 15283073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was descending into the traffic pattern and the airplane collided with a bird on the leading edge of the left wing. The pilot continued the approach and flared over the runway. The left wing dropped down and the airplane touched down on the left main landing gear, bounced back into the air, and came back down on the runway. The airplane started veering to the left on the landing roll, and the student pilot lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane went off the left side of the runway into the grass, collided with a ditch, and nosed over inverted. Both wings and the firewall received substantial damage. The student pilot stated she did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.
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
- Flight time: 102 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,295 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 176 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chapel Hill Flying Club Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TTA Sanford CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from RDU
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.
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.