Cessna 152 accident near Chandler, Arizona, January 22, 1985
On January 22, 1985 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N65273, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Chandler Muni 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 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
- January 22, 1985 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Chandler Muni · 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
- N65273 · no longer on the register · serial 15285285
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE FLT INSTRUCTOR (CFI), THE STUDENT PLT DEMONSTRATED 4 GOOD TOUCH-&-GO LANDINGS WHILE ON A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. THE CFI DECIDED TO SOLO THE STUDENT, WHO DID NOT HOLD EITHER A MEDICAL OR STUDENT PLT CERTIFICATE. THE CFI TOLD THE STUDENT TO MAKE 1 SOLO TOUCH-&-GO FOLLOWED BY A FULL STOP LANDING. ACCORDING TO THE CFI, THE STUDENT FLEW A NORMAL PATTERN; HOWEVER, HE MADE A HARD LANDING WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A HIGH BOUNCE. THE ACFT BEGAN TO PORPOISE, & AFTER 6 OR 7 OSCILLATIONS, IT IMPACTED NOSE 1ST, THEN CAME TO REST WITH THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED.
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
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,832 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 5, 1985; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P10 at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,810 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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 N65273 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.