Cessna 152 accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts, November 3, 1986
On November 3, 1986 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49427, was substantially damaged in an accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts (Haverhill airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- November 3, 1986 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Haverhill, Massachusetts · Haverhill
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49427 · no longer on the register · serial 15281258
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON AN APPROVED SOLO X-COUNRTY FLT WHEN HE BECAME LOST. HE ATTEMPTED A LANDING AT AN ARPT 10 SM AWAY FROM HIS ARPT OF INTENDED LANDING. REALIZING HE WAS HIGH ON HIS FIRST APCH, HE MADE A GO-AROUND. WHILE MAKING A 360 DEG TURN WITH FULL POWER AND PARTIAL FLAPS, THE ACFT SETTLED INTO THE RIVER. THE ACFT SANK IN THE RIVER. A WITNESS SAID THE ACFT LOOKED LIKE IT STALLED INTO THE RIVER. WHEN THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED THE THROTTLE WAS FOUND IN THE FULL OPEN POSITION, MIXTURE WAS RICH AND THE CARB HEAT WAS OFF. THE EXAMINATION FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE/MALFUNCTION.
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
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 18 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,784 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 24, 1986; 44 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: PWM Portland ME at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 2B2 Plum Island MA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 1,620 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.