Cessna 152 accident near Oberlin, Ohio, March 30, 1990
On March 30, 1990 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4671M, was destroyed in an accident near Oberlin, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT BY THE DUAL STUDENT, CARBURETOR ICE, INADEQUATE SUPERVISION TO CORRECT THE SITUATION BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI), AND FAILURE OF THE CFI TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL. CARBURETOR ICING CONDITION WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1990 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oberlin, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4671M · no longer on the register · serial 15284476
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A WIDE SPIRAL, THEN IT SUDDENLY ENTERED A DIVE & CRASHED. ONE WITNESS, WHO WAS OUTSIDE & AWAY FROM STRUCTURES, REPORTED THE ENGINE WAS SPUTTERING, JUST BEFORE IMPACT. THE DUAL STUDENT RETAINED ONLY A FRAGMENTED MEMORY OF THE DAY OF THE ACDNT. HOWEVER, HE REMEMBERED THAT THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE, WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER DURING A POWER APPLICATION. ALSO, HE REPORTED THAT CARBURETOR HEAT HAD BEEN USED PRIOR TO APPLICATION OF POWER. A REVIEW OF THE INSTRUCTOR & STUDENT LOGBOOKS SHOWED THAT THERE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTION IN EMERGENCY PROCEDURES DURING THE PREVIOUS PERIOD OF INSTRUCTION. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE ENGINE WAS MOUNTED ON A TEST STAND & OPERATED TO 1000 RPM. THE TEMPERATURE & DEW POINT WERE REPORTED TO BE 54 & 47 DEG, RESPECTIVELY. ACCORDING TO ICING PROBABILITY CHARTS, CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO SERIOUS ICING AT CRUISE POWER.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 877 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 833 as pilot in command; 97 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,223 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 28, 1990; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1G1 Elyria OH at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from CLE, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.