Cessna 152 accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 4, 1989
On June 4, 1989 at about 3:16 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N94622, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauberdale Executive airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S LATE FLARE WHICH RESULTED IN A HARD LANDING THAT EXCEEDED THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1989 · about 3:16 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauberdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N94622 · no longer on the register · serial 15285745
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & HIS SON WERE RETURNING FROM A FLT IN THE LOCAL AREA. TWR PERSNL & A CFI IN HIS ACFT AT THE APRCH END OF THE RWY, OBSERVED THE ACFT MAKING A FULL FLAP, STEEP APRCH. THE NOSE GEAR HIT FIRST, THEN THE MAINS WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO 'MAKE THE STRUTS BEND SEVERELY' & BOUNCE ABOUT 20 FT INTO THE AIR. ON THE LAST IMPACT, PARTS OF THE NOSE GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT AND THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP ON ITS NOSE & PROP. THE PLT STATED THE TOUCHDOWN FELT NORMAL TO HIM, BUT HE MAY HAVE LOWERED THE NOSE TOO FAST. HE STATED THAT HE LOOKED AT THE AIRSPEED IND DURING THE FLARE & SAW ABOUT 45 KTS. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PLT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT HE MAY HAVE OBSERVED SOME PRE-EXISTING CRACK(S) IN THE FAILED COMPONENTS, BUT MAINT PERSNL FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-EXISTING CRACK(S).
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:16 pm from FXE
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.
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.