Cessna 152 accident near Murray, Utah, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 7:36 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N65602, was substantially damaged in an accident near Murray, Utah. 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
A forced landing on unsuitable terrain. Factors were fuel exhaustion and inaccurate preflight planning by the flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1999 · about 7:36 pm local time
- Place
- Murray, Utah · 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
- N65602 · registry record · serial 15281643
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI was giving the student pilot a mountain checkout and after approximately 1.6 hours of flight, the engine lost power. An emergency descent and was made to a field and the aircraft struck trees during the landing roll. The CFI said they had approximately 13 gallons of fuel on board at departure and the flight manual provides information that the aircraft uses approximately 6 gallons of fuel per hour in cruise flight and approximately 3.5 gallons of fuel is unusable. Following the accident, an FAA inspector examined the aircraft and drained approximately 1.4 gallons of fuel from the tanks. He found no evidence of a fuel leak nor evidence of engine malfunction.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,562 hours in all; 122 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,762 as pilot in command; 231 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1998; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U42 Salt Lake City UT at 7:40 pm
- Destination: SLC UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from SLC, 10 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.
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.