Cessna 152 accident near Mesa, Arizona, June 7, 1983
On June 7, 1983 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89894, was destroyed in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was a personal 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1983 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89894 · no longer on the register · serial 15282907
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT REPORTED THAT HE WAS 'GOING TO DO SOME AIRWORK.' ABOUT 1.2 HRS AFTER TAKEOFF, WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT FLYING EASTBOUND AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF BETWEEN 2000 & 3500 FT AGL. A WITNESS WITH ABOUT 40 HRS OF AERONAUTICAL EXPERIENCE OBSERVED THE ACFT NOSE UP LIKE THE PLT WAS 'PRACTICING TAKEOFF TYPE STALLS.' ALL 4 WITNESSES NOTED THAT THE ACFT WENT INTO AN EXTREME NOSE UP ATTITUDE, THEN PITCHED OVER INTO A STEEP DESCENT. AS THE ACFT WAS DESCENDING, IT REPORTEDLY WAS PITCHING UP & DOWN & THE WINGS WERE ROCKING, THEN THE LEFT WING DROPPED & THE PLANE DISAPPEARED FROM THE WITNESSES VIEW. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ACFT IMPACTED ON AN ELEVATED MESA AREA. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED ABOUT 438 FT BEYOND THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO PREIMPACT, PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 208 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 148 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,524 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 1983; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Corporate Jets, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 6:12 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:49 pm from PHX, 15 miles away
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.