Cessna 152 accident near Mendham, New Jersey, November 24, 1987
On November 24, 1987 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5520H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mendham, New Jersey. 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
- November 24, 1987 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Mendham, New Jersey
- 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
- N5520H · no longer on the register · serial 15284110
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HAD SIMULATED AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE INSTRUCTOR PULLED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE AND THE STUDENT WENT THROUGH THE CHECKLIST PROCEDURE FOR EMERGENCY LANDING. WHEN THE STUDENT PLT APPLIED POWER FOR THE GO-AROUND THE ENGINE RESTARTED FOR ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS BUT THEN QUIT AGAIN. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR FOLLOWED BY THE NOSE WHEEL, DUG INTO THE SOD, AND FLIPPED OVER. THE PILOTS EXTINGUISHED THE POST-ACCIDENT FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED IN CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
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: 800 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 680 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MMU Morristown NJ at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:05 pm
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.
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.