Cessna 152 accident near Georgetown, Delaware, January 21, 1994
On January 21, 1994 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N95537, was involved in an accident near Georgetown, Delaware (Sussex 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of ground personnel to maintain clearance from the engine propeller.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1994 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Delaware · Sussex County 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
- N95537 · registry record · serial 15285916
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While monitoring the unicom frequency for a lineman, the avionics shop owner heard a request from the airplane on the ramp over the radio. The avionics shop owner stated that she did not know what to do so she decided to go out to the airplane and tell the pilot that the lineman would be back in a minute. The avionics shop owner stated that she approached the right side of the airplane and her right hand contacted the propeller. Four fingers were severed from her right hand. The pilot stated that he saw the woman approaching the airplane's engine so he shut the engine down as soon as possible. He stated that the woman's hand contacted the engine's propeller before it stopped rotating.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,120 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,080 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,085 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1993; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Laurel Aero Services
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:45 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO94LA033.