Cessna 152 accident near Dover, Delaware, October 5, 1997
On October 5, 1997 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89627, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dover, Delaware (Chandelle 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 pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed which resulted in an overrun of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1997 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dover, Delaware · Chandelle Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89627 · no longer on the register · serial 15282806
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot took off and practiced maneuvers for 45 minutes. After completion of two landings at another airport, he returned to his home airport for additional landings. The student pilot completed two landings and was on the third when the accident occurred. The runway was 2,533 feet long with a 539 foot displaced threshold. The student pilot recalled that on final everything was the same as the two previous landings, except he was a little higher and a little faster. With 30 degrees of flaps, the student pilot pushed forward on the yoke and the airspeed increased to about 70 knots. The airplane bounced at midfield, settled back to the runway, where he applied heavy braking. The airplane skidded off the end of the runway into a freshly plowed garden. The nose gear sank into the soft ground, collapsing the nose gear. The airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airframe or engine.
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: 31 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,321 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1997; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jim Strong Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 0N4 at 5:42 pm
- Destination: 0N4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,533 ft by 28 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N89627 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.