Cessna 152 accident near Edgartown, Massachusetts, May 14, 1987
On May 14, 1987 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24806, was substantially damaged in an accident near Edgartown, Massachusetts (Katama airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1987 · about 2:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Edgartown, Massachusetts · Katama · cases near this airport
- 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
- N24806 · registry record · serial 15280389
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT AFTER HE ENTERED THE PATTERN TO LAND ON RWY 24, THE WINDS RAPIDLY SHIFTED FROM A SLIGHT X-WIND TO MORE OF A TAIL WIND. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN LONG, WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY, HIT SOME BUSHES & NOSED OVER. RWY 24 WAS 2700 FT LONG & 50 FT WIDE. RWY 17 WAS AVAILABLE & WAS 3000 FT LONG & 150 FT WIDE. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 150 DEG AT 10 KTS.
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: 70 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 28 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,771 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B6 Hopedale MA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 1B2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N24806 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Katama Airpark · nearest airport
- Hopedale Industrial Park Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,646 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC87LA147.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.