Cessna 152 accident near Killeen, Texas, March 3, 1983
On March 3, 1983 at about 7:08 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6396Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Killeen, Texas (Killeen Muni 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 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
- March 3, 1983 · about 7:08 am local time
- Place
- Killeen, Texas · Killeen Muni · 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
- N6396Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285243
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON THE RETURN LEG OF AN OUT-AND-BACK, NIGHT, CROSS-COUNTRY FLT. THE ACFT HAD 26 GAL OF FUEL ON BOARD WHEN IT DEPARTED KILLEEN, TX. REPORTEDLY, THERE WAS 18 GAL ON BOARD WHEN IT TOOK OFF FROM DALLAS, TX. THE FLT WAS INITIALLY CONDUCTED IN VFR WEATHER WITH NO FLT PLAN. DURING THE RETURN TRIP, THE WINDS WERE OBSERVED TO BE CONSIDERABLY STRONGER THAN FORECASTED. APRX 4 MI SOUTH OF MCGREGOR, TX, AN IFR CLEARANCE TO KILLEEN WAS OBTAINED AFTER DETERIORATING WX WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE ACFT WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS LOCALIZER APPROACH. IN THE VICINITY OF THE OUTER MARKER, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A NIGHT LANDING. THE ELAPSED TIME AFTER DEPARTURE DALLAS WAS 2 HRS 28 MIN. AT 6.5 GAL/HR CRUISE FUEL FLOW, APRX 1.75 GAL OF FUEL WOULD HAVE BEEN REMAINING. APRX 1.5 GAL OF FUEL FOR THIS ACFT IS UNUSABLE.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 461 hours in all; 256 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 288 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 393 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 12, 1983; 93 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: DAL Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 4,446 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 14 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from ILE, 2 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.