Accident Details
On 29 July 1999, a Cessna 152 departed from Hamburg at 13:17 local time for a training flight to Uetersen. The aircraft was occupied by a flight instructor and a student pilot. During the short final approach to runway 09 at the destination airfield, the aircraft did not continue its descent; instead, it transitioned to a climb. According to a qualified witness, the high-wing aircraft was forced into a steep descent attitude before reaching minimum speed. With a high pitch angle, the Cessna struck the grass runway without any discernible flare and was destroyed.
The instructor was killed; the student sustained serious injuries.
Wreckage and Systems Examination
The point of ground contact was 55 meters past the runway threshold. No evidence of technical defects was found, particularly in the elevator control system. One elevator trim cable had broken, but this was attributed to impact forces. The flaps were extended for landing. The propeller deformation indicated the engine was at idle on impact. The locking pins on both adjustable seats were engaged in their tracks, preventing inadvertent movement.
The aircraft had flown approximately 83 hours since its last annual inspection on 1 June 1999, with no significant complaints. A 50-hour check had been performed on 25 June 1999.
Pilot and Student Information
The flight instructor, a full-time employee, did not have a current personal flight logbook. Older records showed a total flying experience of 3,324 hours with 7,375 landings up to April 1995. For the student, this flight was only the third training flight since beginning instruction on 14 July 1999.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy of the instructor revealed polytrauma with cardiac avulsion and a transverse fracture of the thoracic spine as the cause of death. The examination also showed severe generalized atherosclerosis and numerous old myocardial infarction scars. No evidence of a fresh infarct was found. A possible sudden onset of angina pectoris due to insufficiency at a moment of increased demand during training could not be confirmed. Toxicological tests for alcohol, centrally acting drugs, narcotics, and carboxyhemoglobin were negative.
The student's life-threatening condition initially prevented interview; later, he had no memory of the event. In a written account from 31 October 2001, he stated that the instructor had decided to go around during landing approach and advanced the throttle. With flaps extended to 30°, the aircraft climbed steeply and then immediately crashed.
Assessment and Conclusions
Based on the wreckage examination, technical defects in the aircraft were ruled out. The accident was attributed either to a stall during a go-around maneuver or to an extreme elevator control input (forward push) at low altitude, resulting in a high-pitch-angle ground contact. The cause of the accident could not be determined.