Cessna 152 accident near Bridgeport, Texas, June 12, 1997
On June 12, 1997 at about 9:26 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6182U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bridgeport, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 1997 · about 9:26 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6182U · registry record · serial 15284734
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot contacted the Fort Worth Flight Service Station (FSS) while en route from Tyler to Bridgeport and reported 'that he was lost.' The pilot's last radio contact with the FSS was 4 hours and 1 minute after his departure from Tyler. Bridgeport was his planned refueling stop. The 40-hour student pilot reported that the engine lost power, and he attempted to land in an open pasture. The student pilot further stated that the nose wheel impacted a rock during the landing roll and the airplane nosed over coming to rest in the inverted position. No evidence of rotational scoring was noted on either propeller blade. During examination of the two wing tanks, approximately 2 gallons of fuel were drained from the fuel cells. According to the pilot's operating handbook, the unusable fuel for the 1981 model Cessna 152 is 1.5 gallons.
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: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 26 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1997; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TYR Tyler TX at 5:20 pm
- Destination: 1F9 TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N6182U 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.