Cessna 152 accident near Madras, Oregon, March 15, 2019
On March 15, 2019 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 152, registered N64895, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Madras, Oregon (Madras 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
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the aborted landing, which resulted in a collision with a snow berm and a subsequent nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2019 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Madras, Oregon · Madras Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 No Series, built 1978 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N64895 · no longer on the register · serial 15281461
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, following his first solo flight in the traffic pattern, the airplane's nose was pointed left of the runway centerline during touchdown, and the airplane bounced. The student further reported that the flight school has a "bounce and go" policy, so he applied full throttle and aborted the landing. The airplane continued to the left, the nose landing gear collided with a snow berm on the left side of the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Snow/ice › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,022.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 3, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 9,043 hours total
- Operator: Hillsboro Aero Academy Llc
The flight
- Departed from: RDM Redmond OR at 6:50 pm
- Destination: RDM Redmond OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,089 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from KRDM, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 27, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | 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 N64895 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.