Cessna 152

Aircraft Manufacturer: Cessna

Model: 152

About the Cessna 152

The Cessna 152 holds the sixth-largest active fleet in Cessna's lineup, with more than 1,500 airframes currently on the U.S. civil registry. That registered fleet accounts for about 2% of Cessna's total active registered aircraft. Across every registry record the model has ever held, about three-quarters of its airframes have since been deregistered.

Over its FAA-registration exposure, the Cessna 152 records about 5.8 accidents per 1,000 aircraft-years. Its safety percentile sits at about two-thirds of its peer cohort of the same aircraft type, engine class, and seat range, meaning a higher accident rate than about two-thirds of comparable types and a record worse than most of that cohort. About 11% of the model's recorded accidents were fatal.

On the regulatory record, one airworthiness directive applies to the Cessna 152, and one AD has been issued against the model in total. The most recent of those is dated June 17, 2011.

Aircraft Details

Aircraft Details
Manufacturer Cessna
Manufacturer Serial Number 2071835
Model 152
Category Land
Aircraft Type Fixed wing single engine
Weight Class 1 (Up to 12,499 lbs gross take off weight)
Engine Type 4 Cycle
Number of Engines 1 engine
Number of Seats 2 seats
Cessna 152 Photo: MilborneOne — cc-by-sa-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Have a personal photo of the Cessna 152? Contact us.

Safety Analysis

Composition of NTSB accident records for this model in general-aviation operations (FAR Part 91 and 137), based on NTSB data as of May 1, 2026. It's a breakdown of recorded accidents rather than a safety rating, and types with significant non-GA operation (such as Part 135) may be under-represented.

99%
Identity Confirmed

Accidents are identity-confirmed against FAA registration records (two independent sources).


240 exact, 6 recovered, 2 provisional

Methodology
248
Recorded GA Accidents

Total recorded general-aviation accidents within the analyzed period.


26 fatal accidents.

10.5% of recorded accidents were fatal.

1,635
Currently Registered

Active aircraft fleet size contributing to the exposure data.


42,796 (± 2,527)

Aircraft-years of FAA registration exposure (2008–present).


Comparison

Within its peer cohort

Within this model's peer class (same aircraft type, engine class, and seat range), comparison of its share of recorded NTSB accidents to its share of FAA registration exposure (aircraft-years since 2008).

This is a share comparison, not flight-hours adjusted, so a model flown more per airframe than its peers will show an accident share above its exposure share even if its per-hour safety is average. Methodology →

Model class Share of cohort
Accidents
6.6%
Exposure
4.8%
Time series

Accidents by year

Recorded NTSB general-aviation accidents per calendar year, derived directly from the NTSB accident database. Each bar shows the accidents that occurred in that year. Methodology →

Investigations take 12–36 months to finalise, so the trailing years come in incomplete. Recent years are adjusted upward for that lag. Observed counts show as solid bars, the lag-adjusted estimate shows hatched.

2008 – 2026 Total 248
Accidents by year Accidents by year (total 248 observed): 2008 24, 2009 25, 2010 19, 2011 10, 2012 11, 2013 19, 2014 6, 2015 11, 2016 24, 2017 14, 2018 16, 2019 17, 2020 11, 2021 7, 2022 14, 2023 8, 2024 3, 2025 7, 2026 2. 8 16 24 32 0 24 '08 25 '09 19 '10 10 '11 11 '12 19 '13 6 '14 11 '15 24 '16 14 '17 16 '18 17 '19 11 '20 7 '21 14 '22 9 '23 3 '24 8 '25 6 '26
Composition

Phase of flight

Which phase of flight each accident occurred in, as coded by the NTSB. Most accidents happen in the phases where most flying time is concentrated, so this isn't a measure of which phase is most dangerous.

10 categories Total 248
Landing 103
Enroute 37
Approach 31
Takeoff 24
Maneuvering 18
Initial climb 16
Taxi 11
Standing 6
Prior to flight 1
Unknown 1
Causes

Finding category

Top-level NTSB cause category, from the coded investigation findings. An accident often has more than one finding, so totals here can exceed the recorded accident count.

NTSB top-level codes Total 688
Personnel issues 300
Aircraft 233
Environmental issues 137
Not determined 15
Organizational issues 3
Outcomes

Injury severity

NTSB classification of the worst injury in each accident: None, Minor, Serious, or Fatal. Each accident counts in exactly one severity.

Highest per accident Total 248
None 177
Minor 35
Fatal 26
Serious 10

Operating-rule mix (all parts): 091 (248)· NUSN (34)· NUSC (3)· UNK (2)

Recorded Accidents

All 248 recorded NTSB general-aviation accidents for this model, most recent first.

Date Location Tail Damage Highest injury Phase of flight Finding categories
Hillsboro, OH N49189 Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft
Mendon, UT N934JH Substantial Fatal Maneuvering Personnel issues, Aircraft
Eden Prairie, MN N6346P Substantial None Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
Wauwatosa, WI N4978B Substantial Fatal Takeoff Personnel issues, Aircraft
Wadsworth, OH N46733 Substantial Serious Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Anchorage, AK N915AA Substantial Minor Landing Personnel issues
Madisonville, TN N68218 Substantial Minor Enroute Aircraft, Personnel issues
Telangana VT-FAO Substantial Fatal Enroute unknown
Chemehuevi Valley, CA N6496L Substantial None Takeoff Personnel issues, Aircraft
Mojave, CA N89084 Substantial Minor Taxi Personnel issues, Environmental issues
Cresson, TX N46370 Substantial Minor Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Wadsworth, OH N94400 Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Olive Branch, MS N5233P Substantial Minor Approach Environmental issues
Stow, OH N95445 Substantial None Landing Environmental issues
St. Augustine, FL N25513 Destroyed Fatal Approach Aircraft, Personnel issues
Bridgeport, TX N68851 Substantial None Enroute Aircraft, Personnel issues, Environmental issues
San Bernardino, CA N757PY Substantial Minor Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
South Hill, WA N6585L Substantial Minor Initial climb Aircraft, Personnel issues
Snohomish, WA N946SF Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft
WILLOUGHBY, OH N94589 Substantial None Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
Hayward, CA N530CA Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Aircraft, Environmental issues
Hollywood, FL N5314M Substantial None Landing Aircraft, Personnel issues
McAlpin, FL N25449 Substantial None Takeoff Personnel issues, Aircraft
Bhubaneswar VT-ENF Substantial Fatal Takeoff unknown
Arlington, TX N757BE Substantial None Landing Personnel issues, Environmental issues, Aircraft

Page 2 of 10 (showing accidents 26–50 of 248).

Data presented on this website is sourced directly from official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records. To ensure accuracy, we try not to correct issues such as improper punctuation, spelling errors, empty fields, or unusual labels like "SALE REPORTED" for a registrant. We make every effort to present information as it appears in the FAA database. This website is not affiliated with any government agency.