Cessna 152 accident near Decatur, Indiana, September 14, 1994
On September 14, 1994 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89897, was substantially damaged in an accident near Decatur, Indiana. It was a business 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 pilot-in-command's failure to maintain a proper altitude and his inadequate visual outlook. A factor was the tower.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1994 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Decatur, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89897 · no longer on the register · serial 15282908
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PHOTOGRAPHING REAL ESTATE. THE PILOT STATED THAT FROM CHARTS HE WAS AWARE THAT THERE WAS A TOWER IN THE VICINITY; HOWEVER, HE DID NOT HAVE VISUAL CONTACT WITH IT. HE SAID THAT WHILE HEADING SOUTHBOUND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TOWER. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO FLY TO AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING AT INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,166 hours in all; 615 in this make and model; 374 in the last 90 days; 129 in the last 30 days; 1,076 as pilot in command; 259 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,192 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1994; 512 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PLD Portland IN at 7:50 pm
- Destination: HFY Greenwood IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:05 pm from IND, 95 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.
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.