Cessna 152 accident near Barre, Massachusetts, January 22, 1984
On January 22, 1984 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5536L, was destroyed in an accident near Barre, Massachusetts. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 22, 1984 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Barre, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5536L · registry record · serial 15284342
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDED OFF THE ARPT TAILING FIRE AND SMOKE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. IT WAS A COLD DAY AND THE CFI AND STUDENT HAD TROUBLE STARTING THE ACFT EVEN AFTER PRE-HEAT WAS USED. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT AFTER TAKEOFF DESCENDING WITHSMOKE AND FLAMES TRAILING BEHIND. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED A HOLE IN THE CRANKCASE. THE CABIN HEAT HOSE WAS BURNED. THE CABIN HEAT VALVE WAS BURNED. THERE WAS BURN DAMAGE TO THE HEAT DUCT AND THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CABIN NEAR THEMAP COMPARTMENT. THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED AT THE #1 CONNECTING ROD BEARING. THE #3 CONNECTING ROD BEARING WAS OVERHEATED, BUT IT DID NOT SEIZE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A LACK OF GENERAL LUBRICATION. THE ENGINE WAS NOT WINTERIZATION EQUIPPED.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 44 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 962 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 18, 1984; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Concord NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from ORH, 13 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.
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.