| Crash location | 29.374445°N, 82.520556°W |
| Nearest city | Williston, FL
29.387470°N, 82.446771°W 4.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N5372L |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 29 Jun 2005 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 152 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 29, 2005, about 2030 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5372L, registered to MC2L, Inc., and operated by Air America Flight Center, was substantially damaged during a precautionary landing in a field near Williston, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight from Jack Edwards Airport, Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Daytona Beach International Airport, Daytona Beach, Florida. The private-rated pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight originated about 1830, from Jack Edwards Airport.
The pilot stated that while en route after passing the Cross City VOR, he and the pilot rated passenger determined it was time to refuel. When the flight was between Bronson and Williston, the weather conditions started to deteriorate which necessitated him to perform a "forced" landing. He performed a low pass over a field to check for objects or obstacles, and after landing, he applied the brakes but the airplane wanted to "…turn harshly, so I didn't use any to keep the plane from flipping." He first recognized a barbed wire fence when the airplane was on the ground, and approximately 30 feet before it. The propeller and landing gear contacted the barbwire fence, but the damage to the airplane occurred during the on-ground collision with a ditch.
The inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot-in-command which resulted in the in-flight encounter with rain and thunder that resulted in a precautionary landing and subsequent on-ground collision with a ditch.