Cessna A152 accident near Homosassa Sprgs, Florida, September 6, 1983
On September 6, 1983 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna A152, registered N7597L, was destroyed in an accident near Homosassa Sprgs, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 6, 1983 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Homosassa Sprgs, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A152 · all A152s on the register
- Registration
- N7597L · no longer on the register · serial A1520822
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FIRST OBSERVED MAKING LOW PASSES, ALMOST STRIKING TREES & POWER LINES. IT THEN CONTINUED IN A STEEP BANK THROUGH ABOUT 90 DEG OF TURN, ROLLED INVERTED & PITCHED DOWN SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN THE PARKINGLOT OF A CONVENIENCE STORE IN WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A 'STRAIGHT DOWN NOSE FIRST' ATTITUDE. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS REVEALED ALCOHOL LEVELS OF 0.220% BLOOD, 0.229% URINE & 2.364% GASTRIC. AN UNBROKEN, HALF FULL BOTTLE OF LIQUOR WAS REMOVED FROM THE WRECKAGE. ON 1/30/83, AT 0410, THE PLT WAS SPOTTED FLYING RECKLESSLY AT A LOW ALTITUDE. SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES, WHO CONFRONTED THE PLT AFTER LANDING, STATED HE SMELLED OF ALCOHOL. HE WAS GIVEN A SOBRIETY TEST WHICH HE PASSED 'APPROXIMATELY AVERAGE.' ON 2/14/83 THE FAA SENT A LETTER TO THE PLT STATING THEY WERE INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT. THE INVESTIGATION WAS CLOSED ON 5/5/83 WITH NO ACTION TAKEN.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 125 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 973 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 1983; 45 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: BKV Brooksville FL at 9:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Observation at 9:58 pm from GNV, 55 miles away
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.