Cessna 152 accident near Fernandina Bch, Florida, March 5, 1997
On March 5, 1997 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757HA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fernandina Bch, Florida (Fernandina Beach 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate visual lookout by the student pilot, which resulted in a collision with a parked trailer, while his attention was diverted. The proximity of the trailer was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1997 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fernandina Bch, Florida · Fernandina Beach · 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
- N757HA · registry record · serial 15279742
- 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 taxiing to the ramp after completing a solo, cross-country flight, when the airplane collided with a parked utility trailer. According to an official from a fixed base operator, the utility trailer was parked on the taxiway, and the student was attempting to recover a flight chart from the right front seat, when the collision occurred. No mechanical problem of the airplane was reported by the student.
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: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,867 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1996; 1,000 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 7:00 pm
- Destination: OMN FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from JAX, 20 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 N757HA 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.