Cessna 152 N47028

Summary

On 25 July 2019 at about 15:40 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N47028, operated by Norfolk Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Wakefield, Virginia, 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

25 July 2019 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Wakefield, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Wakefield Municipal Airport (AKQ)

Coordinates

36.9811, -77.0031

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N47028

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Norfolk Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wakefield → Wakefield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19TA235

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which failed to detect and remove all water from fuel, and maintenance personnel’s unapproved repair of the right wing fuel cap, which resulted in fuel contamination and a subsequent partial loss of engine power during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the preflight inspection, the pilot sampled the fuel from the right main fuel tank seven times until no water was present in the sample. He also checked the airplane’s left main fuel tank, fuel strainer, and a belly sump and there was no water in those samples. He flew uneventfully to a nearby airport where he intended to perform practice touch and go landings. During the takeoff phase of the first practice touch-and-go landing, the airplane was flying about 25 ft above ground level when the engine sputtered. The pilot landed the airplane on the remaining portion of the runway near the departure end, then because there was insufficient runway to stop, he turned the airplane left. The airplane impacted a perimeter fence before coming to rest upright. The fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. Examination of the airplane revealed water in fuel samples recovered from the carburetor, the belly sump, and the firewall sump, which indicates that water was still present in the fuel system following the pilot’s preflight inspection. The examination also revealed a gray putty substance around the right wing fuel cap gasket, which did not appear to be an approved repair. Additionally, before the day of the accident, the airplane sat outside in rain. Given this information, it is likely that rainwater leaked into the fuel system throught he improperly sealing right wing tank fuel cap.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.