Cessna A152 accident near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1984
On May 2, 1984 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Cessna A152, registered N8135L, was destroyed in an accident near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- May 2, 1984 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A152 · all A152s on the register
- Registration
- N8135L · registry record · serial A1520827
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED WHILE SPINNING FROM LOW ALT. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY WITNESSES DOING AEROBATICS AT LOW ALT. AT THE TOPOF LOOP OR VERTICAL CLIMB THE ACFT DID A HAMMERHEAD STALL UNDER POWER AND WENT INTO A SPIN. IT APPEARED TO ONE WITNESS AS IF THE PLT WAS GOING TO RECOVER BUT IT RESTALLED AND HIT THE GROUND. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF AEROBATIC INSTRUCTION FORTHE PLT AND HIS TIME IN TYPE WAS VERY LOW.
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: 142 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 103 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,599 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1984; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pennsylvania Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from ABE
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.