Cessna 152 accident near Modesto, California, September 10, 1985
On September 10, 1985 at about 3:41 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5477B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Modesto, California (1Modesto 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
- September 10, 1985 · about 3:41 pm local time
- Place
- Modesto, California · 1Modesto · 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
- N5477B · no longer on the register · serial 15283879
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT REPTD THE FINAL APPROACH ANGLE WAS TOO SHALLOW. HE ADDED POWER AND AS THE ACFT ARRIVED OVER THE THRESHOLD HE REDUCED THE POWER. THE ACFT LANDED HARD AND BOUNCED. WHEN THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE THE PLT ADDED POWER TO EXECUTE A GO-AROUND. THE ACFT STALLED AND NOSED INTO THE RUNWAY. THIS WAS THE STUDENT PILOT'S FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT.
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: 224 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,436 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 23, 1985; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Esco Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MOD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 3,466 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:42 pm from MOD
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.