Cessna 152-II accident near Grants Pass, Oregon, August 17, 1982
On August 17, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152-II, registered N6139M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grants Pass, Oregon (Josephine CO. 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
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
- August 17, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Grants Pass, Oregon · Josephine CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152-II · all 152-IIs on the register
- Registration
- N6139M · registry record · serial 15284630
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT STATED THAT THE STUDENT WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY ALIGNING THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING APPROACH. AS THEY APPROACHED THE RUNWAY HE INSTRUCTED THE STUDENT TO "GET THE NOSE UP." AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET, THE STUDENT PUSHED THE CONTROLS FULL FORWARD. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO REACT FAST ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM COLLIDING WITH THE RUNWAY IN A NOSE FIRST ATTITUDE.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,200 hours in all; 2,030 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 897 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RBG Rosenburg OR at 9:30 am
- Destination: BDR Bridgeport CT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 167°F (75°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.
Other NTSB records under N6139M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.