Cessna 152 accident near Cedar City, Utah, October 5, 2015
On October 5, 2015 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 152, registered N6449M, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Cedar City, Utah (Cedar City Rgnl airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilots to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall from which they did not recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2015 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · Cedar City Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES, built 1980 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6449M · no longer on the register · serial 15284733
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A company chief pilot was performing a company check flight of a newly hired flight instructor. Data recovered from an on-board flight tracking system indicated that the airplane was maneuvering about 3,000 ft above ground level in the accident area; the final 35 seconds of data showed a near vertical descent toward the accident location. A witness saw the airplane descending vertically in a slight nose-down attitude "like a fluttering leaf." The airplane impacted the ground in a slightly nose-down and wings-level attitude, and ground impact marks around the airplane did not indicate any forward momentum. Examination of the airframe and engine found no abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. The flight tracking data, the witness description, and the damage to the airplane are consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall and descending to ground impact. It could not be determined whether the stall was inadvertent or intentional (stall demonstration). Weight and balance calculations indicated that the airplane was about 40 pounds over maximum gross weight at takeoff and about 10 pounds over gross weight at the time of the accident; however, it is unlikely that this weight exceedance contributed to the loss of control.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weight/balance calculations › Flight crew
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,666 hours in all; 68 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 2,866 as pilot in command; 1,466 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,290 hours in all; 1,164 as pilot in command; 649 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,715.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 2015; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,676 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 SERIES (piston); 7,597 hours total
- Operator: Upper Limit Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT at 6:15 pm
- Destination: CDC Cedar City UT
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KCDC, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N6449M 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.