N96640

On January 21, 1999, at 1638 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 152, N96640, operated by Westwind Aviation Academy, nosed over while taxiing from landing on runway 25R at the Deer Valley Municipal Airport, Phoenix, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the instructional flight, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. Neither the commercial pilot, who was performing as a certified flight instructor, nor the student pilot was injured. The flight originated from the Deer Valley Municipal Airport about 1430.

The flight instructor (CFI) reported that he decided to complete the instructional lesson after flying in the local area and performing three touch-and-go landings at the airport. The CFI indicated to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he observed a dust devil near the airport while on base leg, but its proximity to the airplane's planned course did not look close enough to result in his aborting the approach and landing. The CFI stated that he thought he could hurry up and land to get out of its way.

The student pilot reported that they landed without mishap and turned off the runway. Then, the dust devil suddenly contacted the airplane and control was lost. During the mishap, both crewmembers were handling the flight controls.

An on-duty Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller observed the accident and reported that he had observed the dust devil moving in a southeasterly direction at a high rate of speed. The dust devil crossed directly over the airplane causing the tail to become airborne and completely flipping the airplane over.