Cessna 152 accident near Williamsburg, Ohio, April 11, 2005
On April 11, 2005 at about 5:08 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24779, was substantially damaged in an accident near Williamsburg, Ohio. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An improperly installed rudder bumper, which resulted in a rudder jam during spin training and subsequent uncontrolled descent into terrain. A factor was the operator did not comply with the service bulletin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2005 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Williamsburg, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24779 · no longer on the register · serial 15280373
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor and student pilot were practicing spins about 3,000 feet agl, and did not recover. The airplane subsequently descended in a nose down spiral, and impacted a field. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the rudder was jammed beyond its left travel limit. Further examination revealed that the two rudder bumpers had been installed inverted, and the right side rudder bumper had traveled over and beyond the rudder stop, and locked behind it. Review of the maintenance records revealed no specific mention of the rudder bumpers during the 28-year history of the airplane. However, work had been performed near the rudder bumpers on several occasions. Additionally, the paint on the inverted rudder bumpers was consistent with a paint job completed about 8 years prior to the accident. The investigation could not determine if the rudder bumpers were inverted at the time of production, or if they had been inverted during the maintenance history of the airplane. The airplane manufacturer issued a service bulletin about 3 1/2 years prior to the accident. The purpose of the service bulletin was to provide an enhanced rudder stop, bumper, doubler and attachment hardware designed to assist in preventing the possibility of the rudder overriding the stop bolt during full left or right operation of the rudder. Specifically, the new rudder stop was much larger than the original rudder stop. The service bulletin had not been complied with on the accident airplane, and under 14 CFR Part 91, was not required.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 486 hours in all; 88 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 425 as pilot in command; 192 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,681 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2005; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I69 Batavia OH at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from LUK, 15 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.