Cessna 152 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, December 21, 1996
On December 21, 1996 at about 5:16 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N96049, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Deer Valley 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 student pilot's improper flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent porpoise and subsequent overload failure of the nose gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1996 · about 5:16 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Deer Valley · 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
- N96049 · no longer on the register · serial 15286002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on his first solo flight, and had successfully completed two landings. After the third approach, the aircraft touched down on the nose wheel, then it entered a porpoise. The nose gear then 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
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 18, 1996; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7L, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from DVT
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.