Cessna 152 accident near College Station, Texas, March 26, 2013
On March 26, 2013 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 152, registered N48693, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near College Station, Texas (Easterwood Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the nose landing gear fork during landing due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2013 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- College Station, Texas · Easterwood Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES, built 1979 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N48693 · no longer on the register · serial 15283362
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot performed two touch-and-go landings without incident. During the third landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear, and, as the pilot brought the airplane's nose down, the nosewheel collapsed. A postaccident examination of the failed nose landing gear fork revealed that the final overload fracture of the fork started at a fatigue crack at the upper shoulder of the fork, which had propagated for a period of time before the final fracture. The material used to manufacture the fork met the specified engineering requirements.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 36 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,247 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 12, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 1,676 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 10,303 hours total
- Operator: Central Texas Flight Training INC
The flight
- Departed from: TPL Temple TX at 6:00 pm
- Destination: CLL College Station TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 34, 7,000 ft by 146 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.39 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from CLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 20, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Miscellaneous - N Number Correction for the 6102.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Miscellaneous - Communication Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N48693 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.