Cessna 152 N48201

Summary

On 19 November 1998 at about 04:30 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N48201 was involved in an accident near Orinda, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 November 1998 at 04:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Orinda, California, United States

Coordinates

37.8896, -122.1896

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N48201

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Corning → Hayward

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX99LA034

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel. A factor was the pilot's inadequate preflight, during which he neglected to note the contamination, and the dark night which made it difficult to select a landing spot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight at 2,000 feet agl, the aircraft began losing power. About 2 minutes later, the engine lost power completely and the pilot was not able to restart the engine. The aircraft collided with a tree during the subsequent forced landing. The FAA inspector who responded to the site reported that she drained fuel from the tank sumps and gascolator and found the fuel to be contaminated with water at a ratio of approximately 35 percent water to 65 percent fuel. She reported that draining the gascolator also yielded grass and other debris. The carburetor contained about 50 milliliters of water, 2 milliliters of fuel and 8 milliliters of an unknown mold-like substance. The inspector reported that the right fuel tank gasket did not seal. The pilot had received 17 gallons of fuel before takeoff, and reported that the aircraft had been tied down on the ramp for about 3 weeks before the flight. The fuel truck was tested and was found to be within specifications. The pilot stated that he did not remember if he had drained fuel from the tank sumps or gascolator during the preflight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.