Cessna 152 accident near Franklin, Louisiana, April 13, 1985
On April 13, 1985 at about 8:11 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N68303, was destroyed in an accident near Franklin, Louisiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 13, 1985 · about 8:11 am local time
- Place
- Franklin, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N68303 · no longer on the register · serial 15282241
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT CRASHED INTO A CRAWFISH POND DURING A FORCED LANDING AT NIGHT FOLLOWING A POWER LOSS AS A RESULT OF FUEL EXHAUSTION. AFTER DEPARTURE, THE PLT CONTACTED ARTCC AND STATED THAT HIS ALTERNATOR WAS OUT. WITH CENTER HELP, ALTERNATOR WAS RESTORED AND PLT CONT'D FLT. 2.3 HRS LATER, OBVIOUSLY LOST, THE PLT CALLED MAYDAY STATING HIS ALT WAS OUT, LOW ON GAS AND HE WAS LOSING RADIOS. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS 37 NM NE OF ACDT SITE AND WELL NORTH OF COURSE. ALT FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY LOOSE PIN IN ALT TO ALT CTL UNIT CONNECTOR, WHICH DROPPED ALT EXCITATION FLD. PLT HAD EXPERIENCED ALT PROBLEM ON PREV FLT.
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: 197 hours in all; 69 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 117 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,324 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 1985; 28 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: BPR Beaumont TX
- Destination: PTN Patterson LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:58 am from LFT, 30 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.
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.