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Accidents · NTSB NYC92LA156 · Final report

Cessna 152 accident near Plainville, Connecticut, August 11, 1992

On August 11, 1992, a Cessna 152, registered N69230, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plainville, Connecticut (Robertson Field). 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

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. THE EMBANKMENT BESIDE THE RUNWAY WAS A RELATED FACTOR.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
August 11, 1992
Place
Plainville, Connecticut · Robertson Field
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
N69230 · no longer on the register · serial 15282574
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

DURING TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, DOWN AN EMBANKMENT, AND NOSED OVER. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, ABOUT ONE-QUARTER OF THE DISTANCE DOWN THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE 'PULLED VERY STRONGLY LEFT.' HE UNSUCCESSFULLY TRIED TO REGAIN CONTROL. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL 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: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 2,812 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 8,130 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1992; 46 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: 4B8
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 20, 3,616 ft by 75 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 15 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers1

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.