Cessna 152 accident near Lubbock, Texas, September 21, 1985
On September 21, 1985 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93729, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lubbock, Texas. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- September 21, 1985 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Lubbock, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93729 · no longer on the register · serial 15285542
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE WHEN A CONNECTING ROD BOLT FAILED AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO LOCK UP. HE WAS CLIMBING IN IMC WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN THIS OCCURRED. HE WAS RADAR VECTORED TOWARD HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT. HE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND ONE AND A HALF MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AND FORCE LANDED IN A MUDDY COTTON FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED INVERTED WHEN THE NOSE GEAR MADE CONTACT WITH THE SOFT GROUND. MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THE ENGINE HAD BEEN TOP OVERHAULED THREE TIMES DURING ITS LIFE BUT HAD NEVER BEEN MAJOR OVERHAULED.
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: 850 hours in all; 612 in this make and model; 463 in the last 90 days; 787 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,626 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F82 Lubbock TX at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:07 pm from LBB, 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.