Cessna 120 accident near Taylor, Arizona, August 24, 2025
On August 24, 2025 at about 2:11 pm local time, a 1947 Cessna 120, registered N3151N, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Taylor, Arizona (Taylor airport). It was a personal 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2025 · about 2:11 pm local time
- Place
- Taylor, Arizona · Taylor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120, built 1947 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N3151N · registry record · serial 13409
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 24, 2025, about 0711 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 120, N3151N, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Taylor, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot dipped the fuel tanks before the flight and observed that the left tank was empty and the right tank contained about 10.5 gallons of fuel, a quantity that had previously provided about 1.5 hours of flight time with a 30 to 60 minute reserve. The right tank was selected for the entire flight. After 1 hour and 25 minutes, while on approach to land, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the aft fuselage. After the accident, the pilot dipped the right fuel tank and found that about 1 inch of fuel remained.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Runway 21, 7,001 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 am from KTYL, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTYL 241515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 22/12 A3030 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA265.