Cessna 152 accident near Bowie, Texas, December 31, 1998
On December 31, 1998 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46285, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bowie, Texas (Bowie Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The hard landing due to the flight instructor's delayed remedial action to take control of the airplane when the engine lost power. Factors were the loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, and the rough and uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1998 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bowie, Texas · Bowie Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46285 · no longer on the register · serial 152-83028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine lost power during the takeoff portion of a touch and go landing during an instrument training flight. The airplane landed hard in rough and uneven terrain, nosed over, and came to rest in the inverted position. The flight instructor reported that prior to the accident, he and his student had been executing practice instrument approaches under their own navigation, while in VFR conditions. The 1,800-hour flight instructor reported that during the initial takeoff climb, they heard a different engine sound and noticed a drop in engine RPM. The flight instructor assumed the controls of the airplane and lowered the nose. The engine ran normally after he lowered the nose; however, he was too low to recover. The reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,750 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,490 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 3, 1998; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTW Fort Worth TX at 9:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,603 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N46285 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.