Cessna 152 N48259

Summary

On 20 April 2009 at about 23:34 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N48259, operated by Orion Aviation, was involved in an accident near Carlsbad, California, United States. One person was 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

20 April 2009 at 23:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlsbad, California, United States

Nearest airport

McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ)

Coordinates

33.1281, -117.2800

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N48259

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Orion Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA205

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power during takeoff due to carbon fouling of a spark plug.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had been practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings for about an hour. On the accident takeoff, he noted a rough running engine. The airplane had already attained traffic pattern altitude, therefore the pilot continued the flight and declared an emergency on downwind. The pilot stated that he trimmed the airplane for best glide, and as he turned onto final approach, there was a further reduction in engine rpm and an increase in engine roughness. Unable to reach the runway, the airplane landed on its nose short of the runway threshold. Both the wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. An inspection of the engine revealed that the bottom spark plug of the number 2 cylinder was carbon fouled, which could have resulted in a partial loss of engine rpm and a rough running engine. No other mechanical anomalies were noted with the engine inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.