Cessna 152 accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee, November 4, 1989
On November 4, 1989 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N95617, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee. 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
PILOT'S TEMPORARY PHYSICAL CONDITION (POSSIBLE HYPERVENTILATION OR ANXIETY ATTACK). SOFT TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 1989 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dyersburg, Tennessee · 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
- N95617 · registry record · serial 15285939
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A PRIVATE PLT (18 YEAR OLD STUDENT, FLYING A UNIVERSITY ACFT) WAS ON A CROSS-COUNTRY INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. DRG THE FLT, HE NOTED A TINGLING FEELING THAT BEGAN IN HIS FINGERTIPS. AT FIRST, HE WAS NOT CONCERNED, SINCE HE THOUGHT IT WAS CAUSED BY HOLDING THE CONTROLS TOO TIGHTLY. AS TIME PASSED, THE TINGLING SPREAD UP HIS ARMS & A SIMILAR SENSATION WAS NOTED IN HIS LEGS. THE TINGLING TURNED TO NUMBNESS & EVENTUALLY AFFECTED HIS FACE & SPEECH. HE ELECTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING; HOWEVER, THE FIELD THAT HE SELECTED WAS SOFTER THAN HE EXPECTED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE WHEELS ENTERED THE SOFT DIRT & THE ACFT NOSED OVER. SUBSEQUENT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE PLT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 90 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 40 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,237 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 31, 1989; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Madisonville KY at 6:00 pm
- Destination: DYR Dyersburg TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from MEM
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.