Cessna 152 accident near Merced, California, April 20, 2006
On April 20, 2006 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757GF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merced, California (Merced 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 failure of the student and certified flight instructor to maintain directional control and obtain/maintain an adequate airspeed during the attempted go-around. The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight was also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 2006 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Merced, California · Merced 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
- N757GF · no longer on the register · serial 15279723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane settled to the ground during an attempted go-around from a bounced landing. The certified flight instructor (CFI) said that the accident occurred following the student's bounced landing on runway 30 and attempted go-around. The student applied full engine power, retracted the wing flaps to the 10-degree setting, turned the carburetor heat off, and lost directional control of the airplane. The CFI reported that the airplane yawed violently left, at which point he took the flight controls from his student while the airplane was still in ground effect. The CFI decided to continue the go-around procedure, but he was not able to salvage the maneuver, and the airplane continued a slow descent to the ground. The CFI further reported that the airplane touched down on the ground adjacent to the runway. Thereafter, directional control was lost and the airplane was substantially damaged when the left wing impacted the ground. At the time of the occurrence, the wind speed was 3 knots. The CFI had been a flight instructor for about 6 months prior to the accident.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 609 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 187 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ks Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MCE Merced CA
- Destination: MER Atwater CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,903 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
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.
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.