Cessna 152 N757AZ

Summary

On 13 April 2003 at about 19:15 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N757AZ was involved in an accident near Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 April 2003 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Olive Branch Airport (KOLV)

Coordinates

34.9789, -89.7869

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N757AZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Olive Branch → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA03CA095

Nobody was injured.

The CFI's improper positioning of the fuel selector valve to the off position which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The CFI reported that after takeoff, the flight proceeded to the practice area where the student pilot performed airwork maneuvers. The flight returned to the departure airport for a planned full-stop landing, entering the traffic pattern for runway 18 on the downwind leg. When the flight was abeam the numbers for runway 18, the CFI positioned the fuel selector to the "off" position to simulate an engine failure as had been done to him as a student. The engine lost power about 5 seconds later after turning onto the base leg. The student pilot recognized the loss of engine power and went through the emergency procedures, to include moving the fuel selector to the "on" position. The engine continued to lose rpm and eventually quit after the fuel selector was positioned to the "on." The CFI confirmed the fuel selector was fully in the on position, took control of the airplane on the base leg, pitched to achieve best glide airspeed, and turned towards the runway. An emergency was declared on the UNICOM frequency and the CFI attempted to restart the engine while flying the airplane; engine restart was unsuccessful. The student helped secure the cockpit and the CFI recognized the airplane could not reach the runway. The airplane was landed on grass short of the runway with the main landing gear first, and he attempted to hold the nose landing gear off the ground. The nose landing gear collapsed after contacting uneven terrain; the CFI and student evacuated the airplane after it came to rest. The CFI further reported there was no mechanical malfunction or failure. Following recovery of the airplane, the engine was started and operated only to idle rpm; impact damage precluded operation at a higher rpm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.