MARICOPA, AZ, USA
N49016
CESSNA 152
THERE WERE NO EYE WITNESSES'S TO THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE PILOT RENTED THE AIRPLANE TO PRACTICE GROUND REFERENCE MANEUVERS IN THE SOUTH PRACTICE AREA. THE WEATHER WAS VMC, AND OTHER PILOTS FLYING IN THE VICINITY REPORTED NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER PHENOMONA. TWELVE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AT THE PILOTS THIRD CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE RENEWAL HE REPORTED 480 TOTAL FLIGHT HOURS WITH NO HOURS IN THE PRECEEDING SIX MONTHS. ACCORDING TO FLIGHT SCHOOL RECORDS HE RECIEVED ABOUT 2.7 HOURS AFTER HIS MEDICAL, OF DUAL INSTRUCTION AND A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW. THE PILOT THEN FLEW SOLO THROUGH JULY 7, 1992, FOR ABOUT 8.7 HOURS. ACCORDING TO THE METALLURGIST'S FACTUAL REPORT, THE WINGS LOWER STRUT ATTATCH POINTS FAILED DUE TO OVERSTRESS. CESSNA AIRCRAFT TESTED A 150K FUSELAGE DURING CERTIFICATION WORK ON THE A152 MODEL AND FOUND THAT THE LOWER LIFT STRUT ATTATCH FITTING FAILED AT 8.28 G'S. ENGINEERS CALCULATED THAT AN AIRSPEED OF 153.2 MPH WAS REQUIRED AT GROSS WEIGHT TO GENERATE THE 8.28 G LOAD WHICH CAUSED THE STRUT ATTATCH FAILURE. MANEUVERING SPEED FOR THE AIRCRAFT IS 103 MPH.
THE PILOT EXCEEDED THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCTURE BY ATTEMPTING AN ABRUPT MANEUVER AT A SPEED IN EXCESS OF THE MANEUVERING SPEED.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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