Cessna 152 accident near Houston, Texas, August 5, 1993
On August 5, 1993, a Cessna 152, registered N24893, was destroyed in an accident near Houston, Texas. It was an instructional flight 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
COMPANY MANAGEMENT'S DISPATCH OF AN AIRPLANE WITH KNOWN DEFICIENCIES, THEIR FAILURE TO CORRECT THE DEFICIENCIES, AND THE STUDENT PILOT'S INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A STALL. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: CHAFED WIRING, FOULED SPARK PLUGS, A MAGNETO INDUCED PARTIAL POWER LOSS, AND AN UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE PROPER ASSISTANCE TO THE STUDENT PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1993
- Place
- Houston, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24893 · no longer on the register · serial 15280436
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON THE FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, AN INSTRUCTOR AND A STUDENT HAD EXECUTED A SUCCESSFUL FORCED LANDING TO THE AIRPORT FOLLOWING A PARTIAL POWER LOSS. AFTER LANDING, THE INSTRUCTOR NOTED AN RPM DROP ON THE MAGS OF 1000 LEFT AND 500 RIGHT AND THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH AT IDLE ON BOTH MAGS. HE REPORTED THE LANDING AND ENGINE PROBLEM TO FBO PERSONNEL MANNING THE FRONT DESK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE AIRPLANE WAS SIGNED OUT TO A 17-YEAR-OLD SOLO STUDENT PILOT. WITNESSES SAID THEY HEARD THE ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH AND TWO SAID IT QUIT. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS MANEUVERING AT ABOUT 100 FEET TOWARD A DIRT ROAD WHEN IT NOSED DOWN WHILE IN A LEFT BANK. THE ENGINE EXAM REVEALED A CHAFED PLUG LEAD ROUTED AROUND A PRIMER LINE AND FOULED PLUGS ON THE MAJORITY OF THE CYLINDERS. PRIOR TO GOING OUT TO THE AIRPLANE, THE STUDENT WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE DISPATCHER AND AN UNIDENTIFIED INSTRUCTOR TO DO A 'GOOD ENGINE RUN UP' AND LEAN OUT THE MIXTURE TO 'CLEAR THE PLUGS.'
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: 35 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,727 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 14, 1993; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EYQ
- Destination: EYQ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.