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Accidents · NTSB SEA84LA073 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Cessna 152II accident near Preston, Idaho, March 16, 1984

On March 16, 1984 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 152II, registered N48757, was substantially damaged in an accident near Preston, Idaho (Preston airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
March 16, 1984 · about 1:00 am local time
Place
Preston, Idaho · Preston · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 152II · all 152IIs on the register
Registration
N48757 · registry record · serial 15280956
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE SOLO STUDENT PLT WAS MAKING A TAKEOFF AFTER A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING. THE ACFT SWERVED TO THE LEFT, COLLIDED WITH A SNOWBANK, AND NOSED OVER.

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: 11 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: left

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,729 hours
  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 3, 3,170 ft by 50 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 170° at 10 knots, gusting 18
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; clear
  • Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
  • Observation at 1:00 am from SLC, 70 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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 N48757 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

1984-10-07SEA85LA004 · accident near Aberdeen, ID · substantial damage · no injuries

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.