Cessna 152 accident near Beluga, Alaska, November 2, 1991
On November 2, 1991 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68291, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beluga, Alaska (Gas Line Strip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN EXHAUST VALVE FAILURE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH, UNEVEN TERRAIN, AND TREES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 1991 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Beluga, Alaska · Gas Line Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68291 · no longer on the register · serial 15282233
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE AT 3,500 FEET IN NORMAL CRUISE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. DURING AN ATTEMPTED FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AND THEN NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE BROKE AND SEPARATED WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 288 in this make and model; 237 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 642 as pilot in command; 376 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,339 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1991; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENA Kenai AK at 6:15 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 12, 1,000 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N68291 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.