Cessna 152 accident near Macon, Georgia, August 8, 1997
On August 8, 1997 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757WL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Macon, Georgia (Herbert Smart Downtown airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of control of the airplane due to the pilot's improperly planned approach and failure to maintain adequate airspeed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1997 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Macon, Georgia · Herbert Smart Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757WL · no longer on the register · serial 15280061
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
This was a training flight for crosswind takeoffs and landings. On the last landing, the airplane was approaching high and fast. The pilot believed there was insufficient remaining runway to land and initiated a go-around. While attempting the go-around, the airplane stalled and, according to a witness, collided with power lines and went straight into the ground. According to the pilot, the speed of the airplane was 50 to 55 knots. According to the pilot's operating handbook for the Cessna 152, the stall speed in the landing configuration is 35 knots.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 506 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 446 as pilot in command; 160 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,301 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southeastern School Of Aero.
The flight
- Departed from: MAC at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from MAC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.