Cessna 152 accident near Conway, South Carolina, November 9, 1986
On November 9, 1986 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6537P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Conway, South Carolina. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- November 9, 1986 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Conway, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6537P · no longer on the register · serial 15285030
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ONE BLADE OF THE FIXED PITCH PROPELLER SEPARATED 3' FROM THE HUB DURING A ROUTINE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE IMBALANCE RESULTED IN A BROKEN ENGINE MOUNT AND A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER WAS EXPERIENCED. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A SOFT FIELD DURING WHICH, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED BLADE, DESIGN NUMBER 1A103, DISCLOSED A FATIGUE CRACK THAT ORIGINATED FROM CHORDWISE SURFACE SCRATCHES UNDERNEATH THE PAINTED FINISH. THE PROPELLER TOTAL TIME IN SERVICE SINCE NEW WAS 3425 HOURS AND IT HAD NOT BEEN REFINISHED DURING THAT TIME.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 712 hours in all; 239 in this make and model; 310 in the last 90 days; 590 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,830 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 1986; 65 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 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N6537P 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.