Cessna 152 accident near David City, Nebraska, December 3, 1983
On December 3, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N89812, was substantially damaged in an accident near David City, Nebraska (David City Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- David City, Nebraska · David City Municipal · 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
- N89812 · registry record · serial 15282879
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) & HIS STUDENT DEPARTED ON A ROUND ROBIN X-COUNTRY FLT & HAD PLANNED TO MAKE A SOFT FIELD LANDING AT DAVID CITY, NE. DURING ARRIVAL AT DAVID CITY, THEY MADE A VISUAL CHECK OF THE RWY BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO CONTACT THE ARPT UNICOM. THEY HAD NO SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF WHETHER THE RWY HAD BEEN CLEARED OF SNOW FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK'S SNOWFALL. THE CFI REPORTED THAT WHILE CHECKING THE RWY, THEY EVEN LET THE MAIN GEAR TOUCH DOWN TO GAUGE THE QUALITY OF THE RWY SURFACE. THE CFI THEN ELECTED TO ALLOW THE STUDENT TO PRACTICE A SOFT FIELD LANDING. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE MAIN GEAR OF THE ACFT ROLLED THROUGH AN AREA OF DRIFTED SNOW. THE NOSE THEN DROPPED & THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,950 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 1,840 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,309 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 3, 1983; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Plains Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 30A Papillion NE at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,300 ft by 250 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from OLU, 17 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.