Cessna 152 accident near Redlands, California, September 6, 2011
On September 6, 2011 at about 5:05 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 152, registered N4649L, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Redlands, California (Redlands Municipal 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
The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and failure to maintain airplane control while performing a simulated aborted landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2011 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Redlands, California · Redlands Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152, built 1980 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4649L · no longer on the register · serial 15284206
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during a solo training flight, which included an unusual attitude recovery from an aborted landing, he told the student pilot to set up the approach. As the airplane entered the landing flare, the flight instructor pitched the airplane for a higher-than-normal attitude to simulate a balloon effect. Once the airplane started to "slow/stall," the flight instructor told the student pilot to perform a go-around. The student pilot advanced the throttle full forward, but it took "a full second" for the engine to achieve full power, and, by that time, the airplane had stalled and was left of the runway centerline. The flight instructor took the controls and corrected the airplane to the right. The airplane subsequently struck the runway in a left-wing-low attitude, bounced two times, and came to rest adjacent to the runway. A witness to the accident reported that the engine was producing power at the time 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
What happened, in order
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: REI Redlands CA
- Destination: REI Redlands CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,505 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from SBD, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.