Cessna 152 accident near Tallahassee, Florida, December 28, 1987
On December 28, 1987 at about 3:50 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89126, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 28, 1987 · about 3:50 am local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89126 · no longer on the register · serial 15282640
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
EN ROUTE TO THE DESTINATION DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLT, THE ACFT WAS DIVERTED TO AN ALTERNATE ARPT DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS BELOW MINIMUMS. UNABLE TO LAND AT THE ALTERNATE DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT REQUESTED VECTORS TO THE DESTINATION ARPT & ADVISED THE CONTROLLER THAT THE ACFT WAS LOW ON FUEL. THREE ASR APCHS WERE ATTEMPTED EACH RESULTING IN A MISSED APCH BECAUSE OF POOR VISIBILITY DUE TO GROUND FOG. THE FLT WAS THEN VECTORED TO ANOTHER ARPT DUE TO A REPORT OF BETTER WEATHER. UNABLE TO LAND BECAUSE OF POOR VISIBILITY DUE TO GROUND FOG THE FLT WAS ATTEMPTED TO RETURN TO THE DESTINATION ARPT WHEN THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. A FORCED LANDING WAS PERFORMED DURING WHICH, THE RT WING COLLIDED WITH A POLE. THE ACFT THEN TOUCHED DOWN ON A ROAD, LEFT IT, TRAVELLED INTO A DITCH, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE, THEN CAME TO REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 205 hours in all; 74 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 157 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,200 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 4, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGJ St Augustine FL at 1:30 am
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 am from TLH, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N89126 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.