Cessna 152 accident near Knightdale, North Carolina, May 23, 1991
On May 23, 1991 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93002, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knightdale, North Carolina (Raleigh East 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S DELAY IN ABORTING THE TAKEOFF. THE PILOT'S CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE AIRPLANE WITH A KNOWN DISCREPANCY AND THE OPERATOR'S PREVIOUS IMPROPER MAINTENANCE/INSPECTION OF THE PITOT/STATIC SYSTEM WERE FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1991 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Knightdale, North Carolina · Raleigh East · 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
- N93002 · registry record · serial 15285374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL FOR A SOLO FLIGHT, THE STUDENT NOTED THAT THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR DID NOT MOVE. HE STOPPED THE AIRPLANE, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE & EXAMINED THE PITOT TUBE & STATIC PORT. THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO BE BLOCKED. A SECOND TAKEOFF WAS ATTEMPTED. HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY, THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR SHOWED 50 KTS, THEN DECREASED. WHILE TRYING TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF, THE ACFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, HIT A DITCH & A FENCE. A PREVIOUS PILOT HAD THE SAME DISCREPANCY EARLIER IN THE DAY. AN INSTRUCTOR PILOT REMOVED DIRT FROM THE PITOT TUBE WITH A WIRE. NO MAINTENANCE INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE WAS DONE & A WRITTEN DISCREPANCY WAS NOT MADE. THE OPERATOR/OWNER DID NOT USE PITOT COVERS.
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
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,000 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from RDU, 18 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.
Other NTSB records under N93002 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL91LA098.