Cessna 152 accident near Plant City, Florida, September 18, 1987
On September 18, 1987 at about 8:36 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N67896, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plant City, Florida. 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 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 18, 1987 · about 8:36 pm local time
- Place
- Plant City, Florida · 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
- N67896 · no longer on the register · serial 15282082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT STATED THE ACFT WAS CRUISING AT 3000 FT, WHEN THE ENG LOST PWR. SHE SELECTED A FLD & MADE AN EMERG LNDG. DRG THE LNDG ROLL, THE ACFT WENT THRU A BARBED WIRE FENCE, HIT A DITCH, NOSED OVER & CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE ACFT HAD FLOWN A TOTAL OF 5.2 HRS SINCE IT HAD BEEN REFUELED. THE NORMAL FLT TIME OF A CESSNA 152 WITH LONG RANGE FUEL TANKS WAS APRX 5.5 HOURS. THE STUDENT HAD PLANNED FOR A FUEL CONSUMPTION OF 4.8 GPH; ACTUAL CONSUMPTION WAS APRX 7 GPH. A POST CRASH EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED SOME FUEL HAD LEAKED FM THE LOWER CORNER OF THE RGT FUEL TANK & AT THE FUEL QUANTITY SENDING UNIT IN THE TOP OF THE TANK, BUT THE AMOUNT OF LEAKAGE WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,702 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 14, 1987; 50 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: ISM Kissimmee FL at 7:25 pm
- Destination: SPG St.Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from PIE, 40 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.