Cessna 152 N49785 accident near Denton, Texas

Probable cause

The in-flight failure of the right wing’s rear spar.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot and private pilot were conducting a personal cross-country flight. The private pilot, who was flying from the right seat, reported that, while at 3,500 ft mean sea level, about 10 to 15 nautical miles west of the destination airport, he heard a loud "boom." The commercial pilot, who was in the left seat, also reported that he heard the "boom." He subsequently took the flight controls but did not feel or see any anomalies with the airplane. He continued to the destination airport and landed without further incident.

During a postflight examination of the airplane, a hole was found in the top of the right wing near the fuel cap, and a fracture was found near the upper portion of the right wing's rear spar. Further examination revealed that there was corrosion near the wing spar fracture. It is likely that the "boom" heard by both pilots was the in-flight failure of the right wing's rear spar.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA351 for the full record.