Cessna 152 accident near Sanford, Florida, September 1, 2002
On September 1, 2002 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68414, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Florida (Orlando Sanford 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 failure to maintain control of the airplane during the takeoff roll/run which resulted in the airplane departing the runway and into a ditch where it nosed over incurring substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 1, 2002 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · Orlando Sanford · 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
- N68414 · registry record · serial 15282288
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student said it was his first solo flight, and he had made an uneventful approach and landing. As he was reconfiguring the airplane for takeoff following the touch-and-go landing, and as he applied takeoff power, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline, into the grass and subsequently into a shallow ditch where it flipped over incurring damage. Prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical failures or malfunction to the aircraft or any of its systems.
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: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,757 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 20, 2002; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Sanford FL at 1:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 9,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from SFB
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 N68414 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.