Cessna 152 II accident near Gilcrest, Colorado, December 29, 1988
On December 29, 1988, a Cessna 152 II, registered N46974, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gilcrest, Colorado. 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
- December 29, 1988
- Place
- Gilcrest, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 II · all 152 IIs on the register
- Registration
- N46974 · no longer on the register · serial 15283154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT, WITH HIS WIFE AS A PAX, DEPARTED GREELEY, CO, ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLT TO CLAYTON, NM. AFTER LANDING, THE PILOT HAD HIS AIRCRAFT REFUELED. IT TOOK 23.5 GALLONS OF FUEL TO FILL THE FUEL TANKS. THE PLT THEN TOOK OFF, FLEW 46 MILES SOUTHEAST, THEN TURNED AROUND FOR HIS RETURN FLT TO CO. HE ARRIVED IN THE DENVER AREA AND LANDED AT A SMALL AIRPORT EAST OF DENVER. HE THEN DEPARTED THE AIRPORT, WITHOUT REFUELING, AND FLEW TO ANOTHER AIRPORT NORTH OF DENVER. AGAIN, AFTER A SHORT TIME ON THE GROUND, HE DEPARTED WITHOUT REFUELING. ABOUT 7 MINUTES LATER, THE ENG QUIT AND THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A SNOW-COVERED FIELD DURING WHICH THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. WRECKAGE RECOVERY PERSONNEL REPORTED FINDING ONLY 1 QUART OF FUEL IN THE AIRCRAFT TANKS.
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: 135 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 91 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,748 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 3, 1988; 50 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: 2V2 Longmont CO
- Destination: GXY Greeley CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N46974 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.