Cessna 152 accident near Stevensville, Maryland, December 22, 1985
On December 22, 1985 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6147Q, was destroyed in an accident near Stevensville, Maryland (Bay Bridge airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1985 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Stevensville, Maryland · Bay Bridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6147Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285170
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING AT THE BAY BRIDGE AIRPORT, THE CFI GOT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND TOLD THE STUDENT-PILOT TO TAKE IT AROUND THE PATTERN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED TO RUNWAY 28 AND WHILE WAITING FOR OTHER TRAFFIC TO DEPART THE CFI CALLED OVER UNICOM THAT THE LANDING DIRECTION HAD SWITCHED. THE STUDENT-PILOT THEN TAXIED TO THE OTHER END OF THE RUNWAY AND WAS THE FIRST AIRCRAFT TO DEPART IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED IN THE PATTERN AND WHILE ON SHORT FINAL WAS OBSERVED DRIFTING TO THE LEFT. THE CFI STATED THAT THERE WAS ABOUT A 10 KNOT CROSSWIND AND THAT THE APPROACH LOOKED GOOD UP UNTIL THE LAST FEW FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY WHEN A GUST OF WIND APPEARED TO BLOW THE AIRCRAFT OFF TO THE LEFT. HE ADDED THAT THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED UP AND BANKED TO THE LEFT BEFORE NOSING DOWN INTO TREES NORTH OF 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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,357 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 18, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 2,900 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N6147Q 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.