Cessna 152 accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1998
On June 28, 1998 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25858, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Pottstown Limerick Airprt airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's excessive application of the right brake, resulting in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 28, 1998 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pottstown, Pennsylvania · Pottstown Limerick Airprt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25858 · no longer on the register · serial 15280823
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was doing a three-point landing while on his third touch-and-go landing during the flight . The airplane had been converted to a tailwheel configuration. According to the student, he drifted to the left and added right rudder. It did not seem effective, so he applied right brake. The airplane made a hard right turn, the left main landing gear separated, and the airplane spun approximately 140 degrees to the left before coming to rest.
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: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1998; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTW at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,371 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from ABE, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.