Cessna 152 accident near West Jordan, Utah, February 12, 2004
On February 12, 2004 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N66952, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake City Municipal 2 airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the exhaust valve for the engine's number one cylinder, resulting in the exhaust valve/piston contact and the subsequent total loss of engine power. Contributing factors include the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing and the snow covered field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 2004 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Jordan, Utah · Salt Lake City Municipal 2 · 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
- N66952 · no longer on the register · serial 15281687
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the instructor, they were practicing ground maneuvers at approximately 6,000 feet msl when the engine began to "run rough." The instructor said they were unable to maintain altitude, and while returning to the airport the "engine quit." The instructor made a forced landing in a snow-covered field. During the landing, the airplane's nose landing gear caught the snow and the airplane nosed over. The airplane's nose landing gear was displaced aft, buckling the firewall. The empennage was buckled just aft of the rear window, and the vertical stabilizer was crushed. The instructor said the field was covered with over a foot of snow. An examination of the airplane's engine revealed a hole in the number 1 piston, and a fractured exhaust valve for the number 1 cylinder.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 677 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 593 as pilot in command; 187 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 18, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,282.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 24, 2003; 59.8 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: U42 West Jordan UT at 11:00 pm
- Destination: U42 West Jordan UT
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 90 ft; scat at 75 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from KU42, 3 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.
Other NTSB records under N66952 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.