Cessna 152 N48761

Summary

On 18 February 2009 at about 18:00 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N48761, operated by KS Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Turlock, California, United States. 2 people were 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

18 February 2009 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Turlock, California, United States

Nearest airport

Turlock Municipal (O15)

Coordinates

37.4897, -120.7025

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N48761

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

KS Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Turlock → Turlock

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09LA117

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to carburetor icing resulting from the pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student were performing a series of touch-and-go pattern operations. The instructor reported that the engine lost power during the initial climb. He took control of the airplane from the student and verified that the mixture was fully enriched and the fuel shut off valve was in the "on" position. These actions had no effect, so he executed a forced landing in a nearby field. During the landing roll, the nosewheel sunk into the soft ground and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the engine by a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic revealed that the bottom spark plugs of the number one and four cylinders exhibited evidence of water. Water was observed within the fuel sump; however, no water contamination was found in the fuel drained from the airplane's tanks. The engine was successfully run at various speeds with no anomalies noted. Review of the carburetor ice probability chart revealed that the temperature and dew point near the time of the accident were conducive to serious icing at any power setting. The instructor did not report applying carburetor heat following the engine failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.