Cessna 152 accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland, July 14, 2003
On July 14, 2003 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49400, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County Airpark 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 directional control during an aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2003 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gaithersburg, Maryland · Montgomery County Airpark · 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
- N49400 · no longer on the register · serial 15281238
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the flight the student pilot performed three successful landings to runway 32, a 4,201-foot-long, 75-foot-wide runway. She then intended to perform a full-stop landing; however, during the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice. The student pilot then aborted the landing by adding full power and retracting the flaps. She "lost control of the airplane" during the climb, veered left of the runway centerline, and impacted trees. The student pilot stated that there were no wind gusts, and she experienced no mechanical anomalies with the 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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 13 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 7, 2003; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Washington Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 1:00 pm
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,201 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 12:51 pm from IAD, 18 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.