Cessna 152 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 6, 1989
On March 6, 1989 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N47115, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INSTRUCTOR PILOTS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT RESULTING IN A COLLISION WITH TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1989 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N47115 · no longer on the register · serial 15283172
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI AND HIS STUDENT DEPARTED ABOUT 1230 EST ON THE STUDENT PILOT'S FIRST FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND THE NEXT MORNING APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES NORTH OF THE MIAMI VOR. IT HAD COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL ATTITUDE WITH ITS NOSE BURIED IN THE MUD UP TO THE AFT DOOR POSTS. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 115 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,180 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 17, 1989; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pelican Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HWO Hollywood FL at 5:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from FLL, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.