19980919034569A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Burlington, NC · September 19, 1998

Date
September 19, 1998 · 20:00 local
Place
Burlington, NC
Airport
Burlington Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N48195
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA98LA249
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
200 total150 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot had made several patterns to runway 6 at buy. Pilot stated he had been practicing "dead stick" landings. He stated he had not used carburetor heat at any time in the flight because the lever was difficult to pull out. After a touch and go on runway 6, the pilot was climbing out on his way back to person county airport when the engine began to surge and would not maintain RPM in excess of 2000. Pilot elected to land on I-40. Struck power lines during this attempt. The aircraft landed hard in a nose level attitude, and burned. (.19) on September 19, 1998, about 2000 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N48195, registered to causey aviation service inc, collided with a power line, a vehicle, then the ground near Burlington, north carolina, while on a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Occupants in the vehicle were not injured. The originated from Burlington-alamance regional airport, Burlington, north carolina. According to FAA personnel, the airplane was seen in the traffic pattern, performing a low pass, then departed the airport traffic pattern. The airplane collided with a power line, a vehicle, and then the ground. A postcrash fire destroyed the airplane. (.4) the pilot flew to a nearby airport, performed 5 full-stop taxi back landings, then circled his father's house 2 times, and flew to another nearby airport where he performed 2 simulated engine failures in the traffic pattern. Each landing was just past the numbers of the 5,000 foot-long asphalt runway. During the second go-around, he noted that the airplane required about 2/3'S of the runway to accelerate to 60 knots, but he continued the takeoff. He leveled off to accelerate then began to climb at the departure end of runway during which he noted that the tachometer was indicating 2,000 RPM. While at traffic pattern altitude, the engine began to surge. He maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing on an expressway and while descending, the airplane collided with a power line, vehicle then the ground. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The pilot reported only using carburetor hear during the engine run-up before the initial takeoff. Review of the pilot's operating handbook revealed carburetor heat is required to be applied before throttle reduction. Review of the icing probability chart revealed the conditions were favorable for serious icing with descent power.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT HAD MADE SEVERAL PATTERNS TO RUNWAY 6 AT BUY. PILOT STATED HE HAD BEEN PRACTICING "DEAD STICK" LANDINGS. HE STATED HE HAD NOT USED CARBURETOR HEAT AT ANY TIME IN THE FLIGHT BECAUSE THE LEVER WAS DIFFICULT TO PULL OUT. AFTER A TOUCH AND GO ON RUNWAY 6, THE PILOT WAS CLIMBING OUT ON HIS WAY BACK TO PERSON COUNTY AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE AND WOULD NOT MAINTAIN RPM IN EXCESS OF 2000. PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON I-40. STRUCK POWER LINES DURING THIS ATTEMPT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD IN A NOSE LEVEL ATTITUDE, AND BURNED. (.19) ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1998, ABOUT 2000 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 152, N48195, REGISTERED TO CAUSEY AVIATION SERVICE INC, COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE, A VEHICLE, THEN THE GROUND NEAR BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, WHILE ON A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE WERE NOT INJURED. THE ORIGINATED FROM BURLINGTON-ALAMANCE REGIONAL AIRPORT, BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA. ACCORDING TO FAA PERSONNEL, THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, PERFORMING A LOW PASS, THEN DEPARTED THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE, A VEHICLE, AND THEN THE GROUND. A POSTCRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE. (.4) THE PILOT FLEW TO A NEARBY AIRPORT, PERFORMED 5 FULL-STOP TAXI BACK LANDINGS, THEN CIRCLED HIS FATHER'S HOUSE 2 TIMES, AND FLEW TO ANOTHER NEARBY AIRPORT WHERE HE PERFORMED 2 SIMULATED ENGINE FAILURES IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. EACH LANDING WAS JUST PAST THE NUMBERS OF THE 5,000 FOOT-LONG ASPHALT RUNWAY. DURING THE SECOND GO-AROUND, HE NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE REQUIRED ABOUT 2/3'S OF THE RUNWAY TO ACCELERATE TO 60 KNOTS, BUT HE CONTINUED THE TAKEOFF. HE LEVELED OFF TO ACCELERATE THEN BEGAN TO CLIMB AT THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY DURING WHICH HE NOTED THAT THE TACHOMETER WAS INDICATING 2,000 RPM. WHILE AT TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE. HE MANEUVERED THE AIRPLANE FOR A FORCED LANDING ON AN EXPRESSWAY AND WHILE DESCENDING, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE, VEHICLE THEN THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE PILOT REPORTED ONLY USING CARBURETOR HEAR DURING THE ENGINE RUN-UP BEFORE THE INITIAL TAKEOFF. REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S OPERATING HANDBOOK REVEALED CARBURETOR HEAT IS REQUIRED TO BE APPLIED BEFORE THROTTLE REDUCTION. REVIEW OF THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART REVEALED THE CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR SERIOUS ICING WITH DESCENT POWER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N48195 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.