Cessna 152 accident near Front Royal, Virginia, November 14, 1989
On November 14, 1989 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N96096, was substantially damaged in an accident near Front Royal, Virginia (Warren County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) TO MAINTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT WITH THE RUNWAY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE STUDENT PILOT'S HIGH AND FAST APPROACH, THE CFI'S DELAY IN INITIATING REMEDIAL ACTION, THE CROSSWIND, AND THE RUNWAYLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1989 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Front Royal, Virginia · Warren County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N96096 · registry record · serial 15286007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) RPRTD THE STUDENT WAS HIGH & FAST ON FINAL APCH, SO HE TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT, REDUCED POWER & CORRECTED FOR A X-WIND. HE RPRTD THAT A GUST OF WIND DRIFTED THE ACFT TO THE RIGHT OF THE RWY. HE APPLIED POWER & LEFT RUDDER TO CORRECT THE SITUATION; HOWEVER, THE ACFT CONTACTED A RWY LIGHT & CROSSED OVER THE RWY. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CONTACTED THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE & WAS DAMAGED.
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: helicopter; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 467 hours in all; 296 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 405 as pilot in command; 69 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,281 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 30, 1989; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: FRR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from MRB, 31 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N96096 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Front Royal-Warren County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO90LA010.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.