Cessna 172N accident near Prescott, Arizona, April 6, 1989
On April 6, 1989, a Cessna 172N, registered N248ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (E.A. Love Field). 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER USE OF THE ELEVATOR FLIGHT CONTROL BY THE PILOT AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER RATE OF CLIMB AFTER LIFT-OFF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER USE OF ELEVATOR TRIM BY THE PILOT, HIS LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE, AND AN INADVERTENT PORPOISE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1989
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · E.A. Love Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N248ER · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON HIS 1ST UNSUPERVISED SOLO FLT & WAS MAKING TOUCH-&-GO LANDINGS IN THE LOCAL PATTERN. AFTER THE 2ND LANDING, HE RETRACTED THE FLAPS, APPLIED FULL POWER & MOVED THE CARBURETOR HEAT TO OFF. HE RPRTD THAT AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, HE ENCOUNTERED 'HARSH BACK PRESSURE' & TRIED TO TRIM, BUT THE TRIM DID NOT HELP. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT NOSED DOWN, CONTACTED THE RUNWAY & BEGAN PORPOISING. THE PLT 'PULLED' THE POWER & STOPPED THE ACFT, BUT THE PROP, NOSE GEAR & FIREWALL WERE DAMAGED DRG THE OCCURRENCE. DRG AN INVESTIGATION, THE ELEVATOR TRIM WAS FOUND IN A 'NOSE DOWN'POSITION & THE TRIM TAB WAS FOUND DISPLACED 1.5 INCHES FROM NEUTRAL. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS REPORTED.
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: 29 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 7,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX89LA150.