Cessna 152 accident near Arlington, Texas, July 11, 1989
On July 11, 1989 at about 6:41 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49056, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Texas (Arlington Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE PILOT, DUE TO IMPAIRMENT FROM CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE WHILE MANEUVERING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE PILOT'S RECENT USE OF DRUGS, AND HIS LACK OF FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1989 · about 6:41 am local time
- Place
- Arlington, Texas · Arlington Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49056 · no longer on the register · serial 15281127
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A STUDENT PLT WITH ONLY ABOUT 14 HRS OF FLT TIME TOOK THE ACFT AT NIGHT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION & DEPD ON A FLT. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED MANUEVERING AT LOW ALT IN THE SURROUNDING AREA, THEN THE PLT RTRND TO THE ARPT. RPRTDLY, THE PLT BOUNCED THE ACFT ON THE RWY SVRL TIMES, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND. SUBSEQUENTLY, WHILE MANEUVERING IN AN APPARENT ATTEMPT TO LAND, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TRANSMISSION LINE & CRASHED. TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED THE PLT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.34 GM% (0.34%); HIS URINE TESTED POSITIVE FOR CANNABINOIDS. A TAXICAB DRIVER, WHO DELIVERED THE PLT TO THE ARPT, SAID HE (THE PLT) SMELLED OF ALCOHOL & HAD A BEER IN HIS POSSESSION.
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: 14 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,523 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 1989; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 am from FTW, 20 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.