Cessna 152 accident near Simsbury, Connecticut, January 23, 1987
On January 23, 1987 at about 6:50 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N48918, was substantially damaged in an accident near Simsbury, Connecticut (Simsbury airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- January 23, 1987 · about 6:50 am local time
- Place
- Simsbury, Connecticut · Simsbury
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N48918 · registry record · serial 15283389
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 21 AT SIMSBURY, CONNECTICUT WHEN THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE LEFT MAIN WHEEL CONTACTED THE SNOW BANK, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO LEAN OVER TO THE RIGHT STRIKING THE WING ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 874 hours in all; 252 in this make and model; 304 in the last 90 days; 851 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 804 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Centerline Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: HFD Hartford CT at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,205 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N48918 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.