N5426B

On March 31, 1995, approximately 2100 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N5426B, was destroyed when it collided with trees shortly after taking off from Graham, Texas. The student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

The following is based on the pilot/operator report. The student pilot departed Bridgeport, Texas, at 1700 on a solo cross-country flight to Graham, Texas. After dinner and shopping at a local department store, he realized he had lost track of time because it was dark. Even though he was not endorsed for night flight, he decided he had to return to Bridgeport because, "I thought my instructor and the president of the school will be real mad at me and I will be in deep trouble, first for not getting back before dark and second, I didn't have a night rating." The pilot followed "green lights" and made a short-field takeoff. "As I pitched up, the aircraft stalled." The pilot lowered the nose to recover, but was forced to raise the nose again because of trees ahead. The airplane "stalled again" and collided with trees. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who went to the accident site, the pilot took off on what he thought was a runway, but was actually a 900-foot east-west taxiway. During an FAA interview, the pilot reported that the landing light was inoperative and he taxied to the runway with green lights on it.