Cessna 152 accident near Mecca, California, August 25, 1997
On August 25, 1997 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N152RJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mecca, California. 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
fuel exhaustion as a result of the student pilot's inadequate preflight and failure to refuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1997 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Mecca, California · 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
- N152RJ · registry record · serial 15281572
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on a solo cross-country flight from Long Beach to Blythe, California. He was to have performed a touch-and-go landing at Bermuda Dunes and then proceed to Blythe, where he was to refuel and return to Long Beach. He decided to stop at Bermuda Dunes for an estimated 30-minute rest stop. He reported that about 10 to 20 minutes into the flight to Blythe, the engine quit. He said he was able to get a restart for about 5 minutes before it quit again. The student stated he visually checked the fuel prior to departure from Long Beach and it was down an inch in each tank. The student's flight instructor stated he did not visually check or see the aircraft being refueled. The aircraft was recovered, examined, and the engine successfully test run.
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: 38 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,279 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UDD Bermuda Dunes CA
- Destination: BLH Blythe CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from TRM, 18 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N152RJ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 152 1,636 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Bermuda Dunes Airport · departed from
- Blythe Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,158 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX97LA305.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.