# NTSB ANC26LA075: Cessna 152, N103UC, Pell City, AL, July 20, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: July 20, 2026, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place: Pell City, AL
- Coordinates: 33.505209, -86.32943 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5052&lon=-86.3294&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office
- Parties: FAA/FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 203444
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC26LA075
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203444/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC26LA075

## Preliminary report

On July 20, 2026, at 1030 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pell City, Alabama. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to the instructor they departed St. Clair County Airport (KPLR), Pell City, Alabama, with full fuel tanks for a training flight. About four minutes after departure about 1,500 to 2,000 ft above ground level (agl), the engine lost all power and the instructor performed a forced landing to a field. After landing the airplane continued through a fence and the left wing impacted a tree. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that traveled to the scene the left fuel tank was ruptured. The airplane was recovered and an engine test run was performed. The engine did not run smoothly, and the throttle had to be pumped to keep the engine running. The engine was shut down and secured for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 30 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N103UC](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N103UC), registered now, S/N 15284243, built 1980 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 152
- Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 15284243
- Year built: 1980
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Instructional, Part 91
- Registered owner: 426th Aero Squadron LLC
- Departed: PLR, Pell City, AL
- Airport: PLR

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observed at: ASN, 14 nm away
- METAR: METAR KASN 201535Z AUTO VRB02KT 10SM CLR 31/25 A2997 RMK AO2

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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