Cessna 152 N25513

Summary

On 29 June 2021 at about 18:27 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N25513, operated by Florida Flyers, was involved in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2021 at 18:27

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northeast Florida Rgnl (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9672, -81.3504

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N25513

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Flyers

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21FA274

2 people died.

The flight instructor’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall during the landing approach.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the local flight was to provide a discovery flight experience for a prospective student pilot. A witness reported that they saw the airplane flying about 100 ft above ground level, with “the wings swaying up and down” during its approach to land. The nose of the airplane was pitched upward, but suddenly the airplane pitched down before it impacted the runway, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. A postimpact fire ensued and the airplane slid for about 200 ft before coming to a stop. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. While a rudder control cable was found with several strands separated, the cable and the majority of its strands were otherwise intact, and it is unlikely that this contributed to the accident. Based on the witness report, it is likely that the airplane’s critical angle of attack was exceeded during the approach, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Given that the reported purpose of the flight was to provide an initial flight experience to a prospective pilot, it is likely that the flight instructor was either manipulating the controls, or was a least directing the manipulation of the controls, when the accident occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.