Cessna 152 accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, September 2, 1984
On September 2, 1984 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49141, was destroyed in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 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
- September 2, 1984 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49141 · no longer on the register · serial 15281160
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTUCTOR PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO APPROACH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO COUNTER WIND CONDITIONS, REPORTED AT 35 MPH. DOWNDRAFTS PREVENTED CLIMB TO HIGHER ALTITUDE BEFORE FORCING A DESCENT. ON TOUCHDOWN ON A ROAD, THE LEFT WING STRUCK AN EMBANKMENT AND THE AIRCRAFT 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 309 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 148 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,354 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 1984; 55 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: LAS Las Vegas NV at 7:40 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from LAS, 20 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.