Cessna 152 accident near Dunkirk, New York, November 25, 1989
On November 25, 1989 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4930B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dunkirk, New York (Dunkirk 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
PILOT IN COMMAND FAILED TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED DURING A FORCED LANDING RESULTING IN A STALL AND HARD LANDING AFTER A ENGINE POWER FAILURE DUE TO CARBURETOR ICE AND IMPROPER USE OF THE CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1989 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dunkirk, New York · Dunkirk · map
- 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
- N4930B · registry record · serial 15283712
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA 152 DEPARTED ON A LOCAL TRAINING FLIGHT WITH A STUDENT PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ON BOARD. APPROACHING THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET A.G.L., A POWER LOSS OCCURRED. CARBURETOR HEAT WAS APPLIED, POWER MOMENTARILY REGAINED AND THEN POWER WAS LOST AGAIN. A LEFT TURN BACK TO THE AIRPORT WAS MADE, HOWEVER THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN AN AREA OF BRUSH AND RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT SAID THE TERRAIN AHEAD HAD BRUSH PILES AND A GRAPE VINEYARD WITH POLES.
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: 1,893 hours in all; 1,750 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command; 1,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,469 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 14, 1989; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dunkirk Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: DKK Dunkirk NY at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
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.