Cessna 152 N95038

Summary

On 8 July 2007 at about 21:10 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N95038, operated by California Airways, was involved in an accident near Tracy, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 2007 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Tracy, California, United States

Nearest airport

New Jerusalem (1Q4)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N95038

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

California Airways

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hayward → Fresno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA209

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident were the operator's inadequate engine maintenance, which precipitated the loss of engine power, the pilot's excessive approach airspeed and the crop.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot experienced a partial loss of engine power while cruising at 5,500 feet mean sea level. The engine's rpm surged, became "very erratic," and partial power was lost. Despite application of carburetor heat and troubleshooting for causative factors, the pilot was unable to restore engine power. He made a precautionary landing at a nearby airport. With a faster than normal approach speed, the airplane touched down hard and bounced, and the student pilot lost directional control. Thereafter, the airplane veered off the runway and nosed over in a tomato field about 50 yards beyond the side of the runway. The operator maintained the airplane on a program of annual and 100-hour inspections. The last 100-inspection was performed about 35 hours prior to the accident flight. The post accident examination of the airplane's logbooks revealed record keeping deficiencies, and an examination of the engine revealed inadequate maintenance. For example, recording errors relating to the airplane's operating time were noted in the logbooks, and compliance entries for airworthiness directives were omitted. An examination of the engine revealed one spark plug was only finger tight, a cylinder had signs of excessive oil on its spark plugs, and it appeared not to be firing. All four bottom plugs had excessive carbon buildup and were fouled, and the intake air filter was dirty and partially plugged. No sole cause for the loss of engine power was ascertained.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.