Cessna 152 accident near Weaverville, California, August 5, 1983
On August 5, 1983 at about 3:44 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N757TE, was destroyed in an accident near Weaverville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 5, 1983 · about 3:44 am local time
- Place
- Weaverville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N757TE · no longer on the register · serial 15279985
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASH LANDED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AFTER THE ENGINE LOST POWER. AT 2040 PDT A MAYDAY CALL WAS HEARD FROM THE ACCIDENT ACFT BY THE REDDING TOWER. THE ACFT WAS ADVISED TO SQUAWK CODE 7700 AND TO TRANSMIT ON SEVERAL OTHER FREQUENCIES. NO FURTHER READABLE TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE ACFT WERE RECEIVED BY REDDING TWR. AT 2047 ANOTHER ACFT ADVISED REDDING THAT THE ACCIDENT ACFT INITIALLY REPT LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE, THEN A DEAD ENGINE AND THAT HE WAS GOING DOWN IN THEAREA OF TRINITY CENTER. LATER ONE OF THE OPERATORS OF THE FLYING CLUB TO WHICH THE ACCIDENT ACFT BELONGED SAID THE PILOTHAD TOLD HIM HE RAN OUT OF FUEL. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE ACFT AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
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: 260 hours in all; 58 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 226 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,764 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 1982; 18 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: BOK Brookings OR at 2:15 am
- Destination: RDD Redding CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 am from RDDQ, 43 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.