Cessna 152 accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, April 4, 2000
On April 4, 2000 at about 3:35 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46912, was destroyed in an accident near Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Murfreesboro Municipal airport). 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 visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power during takeoff climb for undetermined reasons resulting in an attempted emergency landing to unsuitable terrain and collision with a tree and transmission wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2000 · about 3:35 pm local time
- Place
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee · Murfreesboro Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46912 · no longer on the register · serial 15283142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructional flight sustained an engine power loss at about 100 feet agl, during takeoff. Unable to climb and with no clear area to force land, the flight collided with a tree and power lines, impacted the terrain, and burned. Fire damage and fire fighting foam sprayed on the crash site prevented a thorough examination of the wreckage for water contamination of the fuel. The engine was subjected to disassembly examination with no conclusive finding.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 595 hours in all; 428 in this make and model; 204 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 506 as pilot in command; 282 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,720 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 8, 2000; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MBT Murfreesboro TN at 3:34 pm
- Destination: GHM Centerville TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 3,898 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from MBT, 1 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.