Cessna 152 accident near Gretna, Nebraska, November 11, 1986
On November 11, 1986 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5175M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gretna, Nebraska. 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
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
- November 11, 1986 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Gretna, Nebraska · 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
- N5175M · no longer on the register · serial 15284503
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT THIS TRAINING FLIGHT WOULD EMPHASIZE POWER REDUCTION MANUEVERS, TO INCLUDE: SLOW FLIGHT, POWER-OFF STALLS, AND FLIGHT AT MINIMUM CONTROLLABLE AIRSPEED. THIRTY MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, AND DURING THE APPLICATION OF POWER FOR RECOVERY, THE ENGINE BEGAN LOSING POWER AND EXPERIENCING WIDE FLUCTUATIONS IN R.P.M. REMEDIAL ACTION WAS FRUITLESS AS THE ENGINE WOULD ALTERNATE BETWEEN FULL POWER AND WINDMILLING, THEREFORE A LANDING WAS ATTEMTED IN A CORNFIELD. REPORTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE AREA WHERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED INDICATED FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR CARBURETOR ICING DUE TO THE HIGH HUMIDITY AND LOW TEMPERATURES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 445 in this make and model; 234 in the last 90 days; 475 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,480 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 20, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLE Omaha NE at 9:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from OFF, 17 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.