Cessna 152 accident near Brownton, Minnesota, July 2, 2000
On July 2, 2000 at about 5:30 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757SL, was destroyed in an accident near Brownton, Minnesota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
In flight collision with the terrain for undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2000 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Brownton, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757SL · no longer on the register · serial 15279967
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane wreckage was discovered on July 2, 2000, at 0815 cdt, 1 1/2 miles east-northeast of Brownton, Minnesota. At 0955 cdt, a flight instructor for the FBO which operated the airplane, discovered it missing from its hangar at the Maple Lake Airport, Maple Lake, Minnesota. The instructor pilot said that when he arrived at the FBO, the student pilot's car was in the parking lot, his car keys were on the desk, and the security alarm system was turned off. The student pilot had not been endorsed for solo flight. He did not possess a current student pilot certificate or current medical certificate. FBO records showed the student pilot's most recent flight was on September 2, 1995. The student pilot had 12.4 total flying hours. An examination of the airplane revealed the fuel selector in the 'closed' position. No other anomalies were found with the airplane. The results of FAA toxicology testing of specimens received from the student pilot revealed Ethanol in the blood, muscle, and urine. The FAA Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory confirmed that the levels of Ethanol detected 'are consistent with the consumption of alcohol.' The levels of Ethanol detected in the blood equated to a blood-alcohol level of 0.06 percent by weight.
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: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,145 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 2000; 2 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: MGG Maple Lake MN at 5:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 19 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from FCM, 75 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.