Cessna 152 accident near Greenville, South Carolina, January 23, 1996
On January 23, 1996 at about 1:49 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N65465, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Greenville Downtown airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the student pilot to maintain airspeed while raising the flaps during the go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 1996 · about 1:49 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Greenville Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N65465 · no longer on the register · serial 152-81568
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was returning from a local solo flight and encountered a strong quartering tailwind on final approach. While he was landing the airplane, it ballooned. The pilot aborted the landing and performed a go-around. As he retracted the flaps for the go-around, the airplane stalled and collided with the runway.
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: 42 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,733 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 8, 1995; 13 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: GMU at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,393 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from GMU
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.