Cessna 152 accident near Tucson, Arizona, February 8, 2013
On February 8, 2013 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna 152, registered N89059, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's incapacitation due to his preexisting cardiac disease, which resulted in his degraded or complete loss of ability to control the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2013 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152, built 1979 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N89059 · no longer on the register · serial 15282614
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot rented the airplane from the fixed-base operator (FBO) to fly to an airport about 11 miles away to practice takeoff and landings. He spoke briefly with two people in the FBO office and then went out to the airplane to preflight it and have it fueled. Review of the departure airport air traffic control tower (ATCT) communications and air traffic control radar tracking data did not reveal any abnormalities with the departure or flight. About 7 minutes after departure, the pilot contacted the ATCT at his destination airport and advised the controller that he was planning to do three touch-and-go maneuvers. Per instructions from the controller, the pilot entered a right downwind for his assigned landing runway. When the airplane was near a location consistent with it being established on the base leg, several motorists observed it in a steep nose-down attitude and descending rapidly. The airplane impacted flat terrain about 1.5 miles from the airport. Neither of the two ATCT controllers observed the descent or impact. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded continued engine operation or flight. The pilot had obtained his first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate about 10 years before the accident, received annual recertification, and his most recent medical certificate was issued about 13 months before the accident. Review of the pilot's FAA medical records indicated that, for the intervening 9 years, the pilot was being treated for multiple cardiac issues and was subject to repetitive specialized medical testing. Further review indicated that the pilot had slow, essentially asymptomatic, progression of at least two components of his cardiac disease that are both independently associated with a significantly increased risk of sudden cardiac death as a result of a sudden arrhythmia. Although autopsy results indicated that the cause of death was blunt trauma, it is likely that a complication of the pilot's cardiac disease caused him to become incapacitated, which resulted in his loss of control of the airplane and the subsequent crash. The 0707 code found on the transponder was likely an artifact of the pilot's attempt to switch to the 7700 emergency code to indicate a problem to the controllers, but neither the timing nor the underlying reason for that action could be determined.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 302 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 29, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,037 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 2012; 100 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arizona Aero-Tech
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 4:24 pm
- Destination: RYN Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from RYN, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N89059 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.