Cessna 152 accident near Oak Glen, California, April 17, 2007
On April 17, 2007 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49902, was destroyed in an accident near Oak Glen, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructors failure to maintain clearance from trees while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the downdraft weather condition, and the tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2007 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oak Glen, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49902 · no longer on the register · serial 15281382
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor said that he had the student under the hood and was giving him headings to follow. He said that as they approached the mountains the aircraft began to lose altitude. The flight instructor said that he took control of the airplane and attempted to maneuver the airplane out of the downdraft. He said that even with full power, the aircraft settled and impacted a tree. He said the airplane "spun around 180 degrees and landed in a small stream [approximately 2 inches deep] on its landing gear." The flight instructor said that the airplane was destroyed.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,099 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,012 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,370 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: My Air Corp.
The flight
- Departed from: L12 Redlands CA at 6:20 pm
- Destination: L12
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.