Cessna 152 accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee, February 25, 1986
On February 25, 1986 at about 4:08 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93472, was destroyed in an accident near Dyersburg, Tennessee. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 25, 1986 · about 4:08 pm local time
- Place
- Dyersburg, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93472 · no longer on the register · serial 85494
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ON THE EDGE OF A 5000 FT OPEN FIELD DURING A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AFTER THE STUDENT PLT ON HIS FIRST SOLO X-COUNTRY BECAME LOST & CONFUSED. HE LANDED OFF ARPT EVEN THOUGH HE STILL HAD ABOUT 3 HRS FUEL. WX WAS NOT THREATENING AND HE WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH MEMPHIS CENTER WHO WAS TRYING TO HELP. THE STUDENT'S CFI THOUGHT THAT THE LANDING WAS THE RESULT OF PANIC AND POOR JUDGEMENT. THE STUDENT PLT FAILED TO SHUT OFF THE SWITCHES & FUEL AFTER THE ACC AND THE ACFT BURNED COMPLETELY.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 104 hours in all; 104 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,979 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1986; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: M08 Bolivar TN at 3:15 pm
- Destination: DYR Dyersburg TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from DYR, 6 miles away
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.
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.