Cessna 152 accident near Kennewick, Washington, August 17, 1999
On August 17, 1999 at about 11:09 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6148Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kennewick, Washington (Vista Field). 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 inadequate compensation for gusty wind conditions. A contributing factor was gusty winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1999 · about 11:09 pm local time
- Place
- Kennewick, Washington · Vista Field · 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
- N6148Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285171
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 26-hour student solo pilot initiated takeoff on runway 02. During the takeoff roll and while applying a crosswind correction, a gust of wind from the left picked up the Cessna 152's left wing and the aircraft's right wing impacted the runway. The aircraft then flipped over. Winds at Pasco airport five nautical miles to the northeast were out of the northwest averaging approximately 10 knots during the afternoon of the accident.
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: 26 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1999; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S98 at 4:09 pm
- Destination: YKM Yakima WA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 2, 4,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PSC, 5 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.