Cessna 152 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, August 1, 1983
On August 1, 1983 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24814, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1983 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County · 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
- N24814 · no longer on the register · serial 15080394
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED OVER AFTER A SOLO STUDENT PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING. THE WIND WAS FROM THE SOUTH AT 5 TO 10 KTS. BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND TURBULENCE THE CFI HAD FLOWN ONE PATTERN WITH HIM. THE STUDENT MADE THE LANDING WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. THE CFI GOT OUT AND THE STUDENT MADE A SUCCESSFUL SOLO LANDING. ON THE 2ND APPROACH HE WAS TOO HIGH AND WENT AROUND. ON THE 3RD APPROACH HE WAS HIGH AGAIN AND UNSTEADY IN THE WIND. THE ACFT BOUNCED ON TOUCHDOWN AND THE STUDENT APPLIED THE BRAKES THROUGHOUT A SERIES OF BOUNCES FOLLOWED BY THE ACFT NOSING OVER OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY.THE STUDENT HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAKE FULL STOP LANDINGS USING 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND 60 KTS OF AIRSPEED ON FINAL APPROACH.
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: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,069 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, June 10, 1983; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots, gusting 11
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from DCA, 21 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.
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.