Cessna 152 accident near Denton, Texas, February 5, 2023
On February 5, 2023 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 152, registered N5442B, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Denton, Texas (Denton Enterprise airport). 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 5, 2023 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Denton, Texas · Denton Enterprise · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152, built 1979 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5442B · registry record · serial 15283870
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was performing landings during her second solo flight. On her third touch-and-go landing, while looking down to ensure that the flaps were retracted and carburetor heat was off, she advanced the throttle to full, and the airplane began to veer to the left. The student pilot attempted to correct but was unable to regain control of the airplane before it departed the runway. The airplane entered muddy terrain, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wings. The student pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 41.1 hours in all; 41.1 in this make and model; 39.5 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,347 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 13, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-235-L2C (piston); 7,637 hours total
- Operator: US Aviation Group LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18R, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KDTO
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDTO 051753Z 18004KT 10SM CLR 15/08 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP216 T01500078 10150 20017 58008
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 16, 2023. 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 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | 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 N5442B 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
- N5442B 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 0-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Denton Enterprise Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,985 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5442B 1 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/CEN23LA100.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.