Cessna 152 accident near Hartsville, South Carolina, October 4, 1996
On October 4, 1996 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N94526, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hartsville, South Carolina (Hartsville 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's failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) during a go-around resulting in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain and nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 1996 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Hartsville, South Carolina · Hartsville Municipal · cases near this airport · 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
- N94526 · registry record · serial 15285704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated he was making a crosswind landing with known gusty wind conditions. The airplane yawed to the left on roundout, he applied full power to initiate a go-around. The nose of the airplane was pitched up about 10- to 20-degrees, the airspeed was about 40 knots, and the stall warning horn was on. The nose pitched down and to the left. He applied aft pressure on the control yoke. The airplane collided with the ground on the main gear, bounced and nosed over inverted.
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: 42 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,235 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 19, 1996; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 50J Berkly SC at 4:15 pm
- Destination: HVS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from FLO, 20 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N94526 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hartsville Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,115 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA97LA002.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.