Cessna 152 accident near Fort Payne, Alabama, June 16, 2005
On June 16, 2005 at about 4:20 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5527M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Payne, Alabama. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The intentional unauthorized use of a stolen aircraft by an unqualified person which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2005 · about 4:20 am local time
- Place
- Fort Payne, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5527M · no longer on the register · serial 15284603
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the police, the 14 year old boy had never flown an airplane before. He stated to the police that he wanted to go flying. He went to the airport and found an airplane with the keys in it. He flew for a few minutes and landed, then took off again. On the second flight, he flew a few minutes longer and and attempted to land again. This time he landed hard and the airplane veered to the left. He stated that he added power in an attempt to go-around and the airplane crashed on a road nose down and slid about 40-feet.The 14-year old boy was arrested and charged with the theft of an airplane and was being held in juvenile detention pending a formal hearing.
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
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4A9 Fort Payne AL
- Destination: 4A9 Fort Payne AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from 4A9
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 N5527M 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.