Cessna 152 accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1985
On August 6, 1985 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757PX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Allentown, Pennsylvania (Allentown Bethlehem 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 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
- August 6, 1985 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Allentown, Pennsylvania · Allentown Bethlehem · 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
- N757PX · no longer on the register · serial 15279906
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND BOUNCED WHILE LANDING AT ALLENTOWN, PA. THE PLT STATED THAT UPON MAKING THE LANDING, THE CONTROLS FELT LIKE THE ACFT'S NOSE WHEEL HAD GONE FLAT. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL THE NOSE UP, THE ACFT BALLOONED AND CAME DOWN TO THE SIDE OF THE RWY IN GRASS AND STOPPED.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 96 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,031 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 2:30 pm
- Destination: ABE Allentown PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0, 7,601 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.