Cessna 152 accident near Spring City, Pennsylvania, December 21, 1997
On December 21, 1997 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N22LU, was destroyed in an accident near Spring City, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall and subsequent in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1997 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Spring City, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N22LU · registry record · serial 15280621
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and passenger were on a local flight, and a few minutes after departure witnesses saw the airplane flying level about 1,000 feet above the ground.. This was followed by a power reduction, a pitch up of the nose, and what the witness said appeared to be an entry into a stall. The left wing rotated 90 degrees down, followed by the nose which dropped down, and the airplane was pointed to the ground. The airplane rotated once on its axis, and then stopped rotating, but was still pointed down and accelerating. The nose of the airplane started to pull up, but the airplane impacted the ground prior to recovery from the maneuver. The witness reported that after the power reduction, he did not hear the engine, but did hear wind noise. No evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction was found. The leading edge of the horizontal stabilizers were bent down, and the wings were bowed up.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 287 hours in all; 161 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 243 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,195 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 1997; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fare Share LTD
The flight
- Departed from: PTW Pottstown PA at 7:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from RDG, 21 miles away
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.
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.