Cessna 152 accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, December 3, 1989
On December 3, 1989 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6479P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida (Zephyrhills Municipal airport). 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 STUDENT PILOT NOT OBTAINING THE CURRENT WIND INFORMATION WHICH RESULTED IN SELECTING THE WRONG RUNWAY FOR LANDING; IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE STUDENT PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND THE TAILWIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1989 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Zephyrhills, Florida · Zephyrhills Municipal
- 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
- N6479P · no longer on the register · serial 15285026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHEN HE CONTACTED UNICOM, HE HEARD RUNWAY 32 WAS THE ACTIVE. BUT SINCE IT DOES NOT EXIST HE INTERPRETED THE ACTIVE AS RWY 22. AFTER TOUCHDOWN WITH A RIGHT QUARTERING TAILWIND, THE ACFT BOUNCED, DRIFTED OFF THE RWY, FLEW OVER A DITCH, STALLED, THEN TOUCHED DOWN IN SAND AND NOSED OVER. THE UNICOM OPERATOR STATED THAT HE HEARD THE PILOT CALL FOR A RUNWAY ADVISORY, BUT BEFORE HE COULD ISSUE AN ADVISORY THE PILOT RESPONDED 'UNDERSTAND 22 ZEPHYRHILLS.' THE OPERATOR THEN ADVISED THAT THE WINDS WERE FAVORING RUNWAY 36, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE PILOT. THE PILOT ALSO STATED HE DID NOT FLY OVER THE FIELD TO OBSERVE THE WINDSOCK.
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: 28 hours in all; 28 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alternative Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LAL Lakeland FL at 6:47 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Observation at 7:53 pm from LAL, 16 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.