Cessna 152 accident near Lewisburg, Kentucky, August 23, 1987
On August 23, 1987 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5270B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lewisburg, Kentucky. It was an instructional flight 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 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
- August 23, 1987 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lewisburg, Kentucky · 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
- N5270B · no longer on the register · serial 15283822
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STUDENT PIC FLEW SOLO X-COUNTRY. ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER DPTING ENROUTE STOP ENGINE QUIT. HE RPTD CHECKING FUEL PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. FLT SCHOOL POLICY WAS TO REFUEL AT ENROUTE STOP WHICH WAS NOT DONE. ACFT WAS LANDED IN A FIELD AND HIT A FENCE DURING LANDING ROLL. ACFT OPERATOR RPTD THAT THERE WAS MINIMAL FUEL IN THE FUEL TANKS WHEN THE ACFT WAS RECOVERED.
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
- Flight time: 51 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,410 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 24, 1987; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Omni Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: OWB Owensboro KY at 5:30 pm
- Destination: BNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:46 pm from BWG, 32 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.
Other NTSB records under N5270B 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.