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20150430005559I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 152 · Pilot Point, TX · April 30, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 30, 2015 · 10:20 local
Place
Pilot Point, TX
Airport
Denton
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
U9FS
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N49158
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN15IA230
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-235 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,461 total400 in this make and model274 in the last 90 days
N49158Registration cancelled Dec 16, 2019 · Cessna 152S/N 15281171 · Built 1977Airframe modelCessna 152Engine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

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.

The certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing basic flight instruction to his student at 3300 feet, MSL. The engine experienced roughness following a series of basic maneuvers. The CFI took the controls and tried adjusting the carburetor heat, mixture and throttle. He switched magnetos, right-to-left, all without improvement in engine performance. The engine would only run between 1200RPM and 2000RPM, at best. Following the emergency checklist, the CFI transmitted a ?mayday? Call on 121.5 and set the transponder to ?7700?. The CFI set ?best glide? To 60 knots, selected a suitable place to land. The agricultural field selected was sandy-loam soil. The soil was very wet and soft, due to recent heavy rains, at 500 feet AGL, the CFI cut the fuel mixture to ?cut off?, closed the throttle, turned the magnetos ?off? And turned the electrical master switch to ?off?. The aircraft landed nose-high and touched down on the main landing gear wheels. The main wheels dug onto the soft soil and the nose wheel touched the ground. The nose landing gear dug into the soft soil and was separated from the engine mount during the landing sequence. There were no injuries. Damage was limited to the propeller, engine mount, carburetor air box and a small puncture to the lower fuselage skin from the nose gear.

The aircraft was recovered and inspected, along with the engine. The lower sparkplugs were found to be oil-soaked. The propeller was replaced and sparkplugs installed in original positions, without cleaning. The engine did start and would run at idle speed. Any attempt to run the engine above idle resulted in roughness and the engine would stop running. When the left magneto was selected, the engine would quit running.

The left magneto was removed from the engine, disassembled and inspected. The electrical contactor was found to be separated from the distributor gear, causing intermittent firing and cross-firing of the sparkplugs, resulting in degradation of engine power.

A service difficulty report has been submitted by the flight school?s maintenance department.

As the FAA filed it

THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS PROVIDING BASIC FLIGHT INSTRUCTION TO HIS STUDENT AT 3300 FEET, MSL. THE ENGINE EXPERIENCED ROUGHNESS FOLLOWING A SERIES OF BASIC MANEUVERS. THE CFI TOOK THE CONTROLS AND TRIED ADJUSTING THE CARBURETOR HEAT, MIXTURE AND THROTTLE. HE SWITCHED MAGNETOS, RIGHT-TO-LEFT, ALL WITHOUT IMPROVEMENT IN ENGINE PERFORMANCE. THE ENGINE WOULD ONLY RUN BETWEEN 1200RPM AND 2000RPM, AT BEST. FOLLOWING THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST, THE CFI TRANSMITTED A ?MAYDAY? CALL ON 121.5 AND SET THE TRANSPONDER TO ?7700?. THE CFI SET ?BEST GLIDE? TO 60 KNOTS, SELECTED A SUITABLE PLACE TO LAND. THE AGRICULTURAL FIELD SELECTED WAS SANDY-LOAM SOIL. THE SOIL WAS VERY WET AND SOFT, DUE TO RECENT HEAVY RAINS, AT 500 FEET AGL, THE CFI CUT THE FUEL MIXTURE TO ?CUT OFF?, CLOSED THE THROTTLE, TURNED THE MAGNETOS ?OFF? AND TURNED THE ELECTRICAL MASTER SWITCH TO ?OFF?. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED NOSE-HIGH AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEELS. THE MAIN WHEELS DUG ONTO THE SOFT SOIL AND THE NOSE WHEEL TOUCHED THE GROUND. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DUG INTO THE SOFT SOIL AND WAS SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE MOUNT DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE PROPELLER, ENGINE MOUNT, CARBURETOR AIR BOX AND A SMALL PUNCTURE TO THE LOWER FUSELAGE SKIN FROM THE NOSE GEAR.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED AND INSPECTED, ALONG WITH THE ENGINE. THE LOWER SPARKPLUGS WERE FOUND TO BE OIL-SOAKED. THE PROPELLER WAS REPLACED AND SPARKPLUGS INSTALLED IN ORIGINAL POSITIONS, WITHOUT CLEANING. THE ENGINE DID START AND WOULD RUN AT IDLE SPEED. ANY ATTEMPT TO RUN THE ENGINE ABOVE IDLE RESULTED IN ROUGHNESS AND THE ENGINE WOULD STOP RUNNING. WHEN THE LEFT MAGNETO WAS SELECTED, THE ENGINE WOULD QUIT RUNNING.

THE LEFT MAGNETO WAS REMOVED FROM THE ENGINE, DISASSEMBLED AND INSPECTED. THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTOR WAS FOUND TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR GEAR, CAUSING INTERMITTENT FIRING AND CROSS-FIRING OF THE SPARKPLUGS, RESULTING IN DEGRADATION OF ENGINE POWER.

A SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED BY THE FLIGHT SCHOOL?S MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB CEN15IA230Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportPilot Point, TXThe loss of engine power due to the separation of the distributor gear arm on the left magneto.Apr 30, 2015 · Minor damage

Other reports on N49158 · 3

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

Incident 20170308002429ITaxi · Decatur, TXN49158 had landed at the second point of a student pilots first cross country flight. While taxiing on taxiway charlie looking for a place to park, collided the left wing tip area with a parked fuel truck. This damaged the left leading edge approximately 12…Mar 8, 2017 · Minor damageIncident 19850904049599ILevel Off Touchdown · Mansfield, MABounced on crosswind landing until nose gear collapsed.Sep 4, 1985 · Minor damageIncident 19790527028059ITo Aborted (Fixed Wing) · Pennington, NJRan off end of runway after aborting takeoff, flipped over on top.May 27, 1979 · Minor damage