Cessna 152 accident near Santa Paula, California, March 8, 1996
On March 8, 1996 at about 7:51 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49048, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Paula, California (Santa Paula airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control and proper runway alignment during the landing. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of the student to follow the wind limitations of her solo endorsement (written instructions), and the variable/gusty crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1996 · about 7:51 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Paula, California · Santa Paula · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49048 · no longer on the register · serial 15283407
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The wind was variable from 040 to 070 degrees at 20 gusting 35 knots. The student pilot's instructor had endorsed her for repeated flights from Burbank to Santa Paula in winds of less that 15 knots, when landings could be made with a crosswind component of less that 5 knots. While practicing a short field landing on runway 4, student encountered a crosswind on final approach. She applied the necessary correction on final approach, but during the landing, the airplane went off the right side of the runway and struck a parked car. The student pilot said that the airplane did not experience any preimpact malfunction or failure.
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: 141 hours in all; 135 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 1996; 80 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: BUR Burbank CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: SZP
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,650 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 20 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
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.