Cessna 152 accident near Conway, South Carolina, January 15, 1986
On January 15, 1986 at about 11:53 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6235Q, was destroyed in an accident near Conway, South Carolina (Conway-Horry CO. airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- January 15, 1986 · about 11:53 pm local time
- Place
- Conway, South Carolina · Conway-Horry CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6235Q · registry record · serial 15285207
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING NIGHT FLIGHT INSTRUCTION FOR TAKEOFF AND LANDING PRACTICE, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES OFF THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY AND IMPACTED THE GROUND 800 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE RUNWAY HAD BEEN RECENTLY EXTENDED AND THE TREES OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY HAD BEEN SCHEDULED TO BE CLEARED PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE EXTENSION PROJECT. THE TREES WERE CLEARED THE DAY AFTER THIS 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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 987 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 788 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,407 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 13, 1986; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYW Conway SC at 11:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 4,400 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.