Cessna 152 accident near Dresden, Tennessee, November 9, 1994
On November 9, 1994 at about 6:50 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24834, was destroyed in an accident near Dresden, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S (CFI) IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE DUE TO ALCOHOL AND DRUGS, WHICH LED TO HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION FROM TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 1994 · about 6:50 am local time
- Place
- Dresden, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24834 · no longer on the register · serial 15280405
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE TWO PILOTS WERE OBSERVED DRINKING IN LOCAL BARS UNTIL ABOUT 2400 ON THE EVENING OF 11/8. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE PILOTS MENTIONED GOING FLYING LATER, BUT THAT SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE JOKING, AS BOTH PILOTS WERE TOO INTOXICATED TO OPERATE ANY KIND OF MOTOR VEHICLE. WITNESSES IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT REPORTED HEARING A LOUD NOISE ABOUT 0150 ON THE MORNING OF 11/9. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED ABOUT 0830. BOTH PILOTS' TOXICOLOGICAL REPORTS WERE POSITIVE FOR COCAINE AND ALCOHOL. THE PILOT'S TOX REVEALED 0.17 GM/DL ALCOHOL IN VITREOUS FLUID, AND 0.48 UG/GM COCAINE, 1.72 UG/GM BENZOYECGONINE AND 0.56 UG/GM ECGONINE METHYL ESTER IN THE LIVER. THE STUDENT PILOT'S TOX REVEALED 0.09 GM/DL ALCOHOL, 0.16 UG/ML COCAINE, 0.45 UG/ML BENZOYECGONINE AND 0.10 UG/ML ECGONINE METHYL ESTER IN THE BLOOD.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,235 hours in all; 115 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 835 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,248 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 23, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UCY Union City TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from MKL, 30 miles away
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.
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.