Cessna 152 accident near West Jordan, Utah, April 4, 1985
On April 4, 1985 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N66952, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Jordan, Utah (Salt Lake City Municipal airport). 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
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
- April 4, 1985 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- West Jordan, Utah · Salt Lake City Municipal · 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
- 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
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON HIS 1ST SOLO FLT. HIS INSTRUCTOR PLT REPORTED THAT THE STUDENT MADE A HIGH & FAST APCH. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON ITS MAIN GEAR, BOUNCED, THEN CAME DOWN ON THE NOSE GEAR WHICH COLLAPSED. AFTER THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, THE ACFT SKIDDED OFF THE RWY. NEITHER THE STUDENT NOR HIS INSTRUCTOR WERE PROPERLY CERTIFIED. NEITHER HAD A CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE.
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: 18 hours in all; 18 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,635 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1985; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 17,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from SLC, 13 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.
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.