Cessna 152 accident near Little Falls, Minnesota, August 11, 1985
On August 11, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N53264, was substantially damaged in an accident near Little Falls, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 11, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Little Falls, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N53264 · registry record · serial 15283522
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT HAD DEPT WITH MINIMUM FUEL FOR THE 60 MI X-COUNTRY FLT. HE OVERFLEW DEST BY 25 MI AND AFTER CORRECTING COURSE RAN OUT OF FUEL 2 MI SHORT OF THE APRT. WHILE LANDING ON A COUNTRY ROAD ACFT VEERED INTO A DITCH.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 154 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 130 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,890 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 9, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cedar MN at 5:00 pm
- Destination: LXL Little Falls MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from STC, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N53264 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.