Cessna 152 accident near Gregory, Michigan, July 10, 2002
On July 10, 2002 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N621AF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gregory, Michigan. 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
An improper decision by the pilot due to a failure to land at an intermediate airport, and the unsuitable terrain for a forced landing encountered. Contributing factors were the pilot's disorientation (becoming lost), fuel exhaustion, soft terrain encountered at the forced landing site, and inadequate assistance provided by ATC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2002 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gregory, Michigan · 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
- N621AF · registry record · serial 15284944
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a solo flight in the local practice area, when he became lost and subsequently ran out of fuel. During the resulting forced landing, the airplane nosed over due to soft terrain and was substantially damaged. In the course of attempting to locate the aircraft, the air traffic control tower instructed the pilot to tune to the local VOR and eventually the airplane was established on a course toward the VOR and the destination airport. Efforts to establish radar identification were not successful. Prior to locating the airplane, the pilot reported over an intermediate airport but did not to elect land. The tower inquired about fuel status 25 minutes after initial notification the pilot was lost. The airplane ran out of fuel 4 minutes after the tower's query, while enroute back to the original destination. FAA order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Handbook, specifies the information to be obtained by ATC in order to provide adequate assistance to an aircraft in distress or an "urgency" situation. This includes remaining fuel on-board.
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: 75 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,140 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 2002; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 11 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PTK, 27 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.