Cessna 152 accident near Columbia, South Carolina, June 29, 1998
On June 29, 1998 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6363B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbia, South Carolina (Columbia Downtown 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 delay in initiating a go-around, which resulted in an inflight collision with power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1998 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, South Carolina · Columbia Downtown · 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
- N6363B · no longer on the register · serial 15283925
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On his second attempt to land on runway 31, the pilot said he came in 'too high,' and used 30 degrees of flaps to 'lose altitude.' He was not 'maintaining directional control' as well as he would have liked, so he initiated a go-around. He added full power, pushed in the carburetor heat and waited for the airspeed to increase before retracting the flaps. He said the airspeed did not 'build up.' As the airplane reached the end of the 4,999-foot runway, it cleared a fence, and the pilot said he 'saw a power line dead ahead.' He 'pulled up' to clear the power lines. The landing gear caught the power line, and the right wing struck the pole. The airplane 'spun around' and nosed into the top of a building where it came to rest. The airplane was seen by witnesses at a slow speed when it struck the power line and impacted the building. No discrepancies were found with either the airframe or the engine. At the time of the accident the pilot had a total of 81 flight hours, with 79.6 flight hours in this make and model airplane.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 81 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,189 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,999 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from CAE, 5 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.
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.