What happened
On August 1, 2025, at approximately 18:59 EDT, a Cessna 152, registration N6125B, was destroyed in an accident near Hornell, New York. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight by a student pilot, who sustained 1 fatal injury.
ADS-B flight track data indicated the aircraft departed from Ledgedable Airpark (7G0) in Brockport, New York, heading south. The aircraft entered an area with limited ADS-B coverage approximately 40 nautical miles south of the departure airport and 12 nautical miles north of the accident location.
Witnesses provided video footage showing the aircraft circling the accident area. During the recording, the airplane entered a descending right turn and struck the terrain. Witnesses also reported hearing the engine operating while the aircraft was circling at a low altitude prior to the impact.
The accident occurred in a densely wooded area on the edge of an embankment at an elevation of 1,287 feet MSL. The aircraft first struck a group of trees approximately 120 feet tall. The debris path extended roughly 250 feet on a magnetic heading of 250 degrees, with wreckage from the left and right wings and the empennage found along this path. The aircraft finally came to rest on its right side between two trees.