Cessna 152 accident near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April 8, 2019
On April 8, 2019 at about 1:32 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 152, registered N68727, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Lancaster airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a runway marker.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2019 · about 1:32 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania · Lancaster · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 No Series, built 1978 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68727 · no longer on the register · serial 15282340
- 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 conducting solo touch-and-go landings and takeoffs. During the landing roll of the eighth touch-and-go landing, he retracted the flaps to 0° and applied full engine power for takeoff. The airplane began drifting "hard" to the left, and he applied right rudder; however, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, impacted a runway marker, and came to rest in a nose-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Effect on operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 57 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,963.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 6, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 11,304 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNS Lancaster PA at 12:45 pm
- Destination: LNS Lancaster PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,102 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from LNS
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 June 22, 2020. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Observation | 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 N68727 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.