Cessna 152 accident near Jacksonville, Illinois, February 24, 1996
On February 24, 1996 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6325Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Illinois (Jacksonville Municipal 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
Failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve. A factor relating to the accident was: the crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 1996 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Illinois · Jacksonville Municipal · 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
- N6325Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285231
- 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 on his first solo cross-country flight when the accident occurred. A landing was being made on runway 31 with local winds from 210 to 240 degrees at 10 to 15 knots. According to the pilot, the airplane touched down in a crab angle and traveled off the side of the runway where it nosed over in the grass.
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: student
- Flight time: 28 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,886 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 19, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3SQ St Charles MO at 7:26 pm
- Destination: IJX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from SPI, 30 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.