Cessna 152 accident near South Boston, Virginia, December 27, 1990
On December 27, 1990 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N48918, was destroyed in an accident near South Boston, Virginia (Private Strip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE STUDENT PILOT'S DELAY IN TAKING APPROPRIATE ACTION WHILE ENCOUNTERING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT WERE WORSE THAN FORECAST, AND THE UNSUITABLE TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1990 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 1990
- Place
- South Boston, Virginia · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N48918 · registry record · serial 15283389
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN THE LOCAL PRACTICE AREA AT 2,500 FT, THE STUDENT PILOT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. DUE TO REDUCED CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES HE MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A PRIVATE GRASS STRIP. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN HE NOTICED A DITCH IN FRONT OF HIM. STILL HOLDING FULL BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE, HE APPLIED FULL POWER TO FLY OVER THE DITCH. THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT IMPACTED TREES ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GRASS STRIP. DURING A WEATHER BRIEFING, THE PILOT WAS TOLD THAT VFR CONDITIONS WERE FORECAST TO CONTINUE DURING HIS ANTICIPATED FLIGHT TIME. HE WAS WARNED OF A STORM APPROACHING THE AREA, BUT ADVISED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR UNTIL LATER IN THE DAY.
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: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,999 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 1990; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Virginia Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: LYH Lynchburg VA at 4:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from LYH, 46 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 N48918 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N48918 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-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lynchburg Rgnl/Preston Glenn Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N48918 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO91LA021.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.