Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude. A factor which contributed to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate altitude from which a recovery would have been possible.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
Another school airplane had earlier made a forced landing in a field near the airport, and school personnel had travelled to the site of the downed airplane. As they were examining the downed airplane, they observed this airplane circling the downed airplane from 500 ft agl initially down to about 150 ft agl in slow flight where it stalled and spun to the ground.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 1, 1993, about 1930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N67571, registered to Silver Express, experienced an in-flight loss of control and crashed about 12 nautical miles west-southwest of the Tamiami Airport, Miami, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane was destroyed and the certified flight instructor (CFI), and student were fatally injured. The flight originated about 1730 from the Tamiami Airport. According to the owner of the flight school, before the accident airplane crashed, another school airplane had performed a forced landing due to water in the fuel system. He and two mechanics along with the CFI and student from the forced landing airplane were in the immediate vicinity, when the accident airplane began circling about 500 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane descended to about 150 feet agl when the nose of the airplane dropped and the airplane descended and impacted the ground. He further stated that he did not hear any unusual sounds from the engine before the loss of control. -