# Incident 20150430005559I: Cessna 152, Pilot Point, TX, April 30, 2015 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 30, 2015, 10:20 local time - Place: Pilot Point, TX - Airport: Denton - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Maneuver - Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141) - Operator: U9FS - Location: 33.3792° N, 95.9372° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3792&lon=-95.9372&mi=10 - Aircraft: N49158, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N49158-2019-12-16) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 152 (registry code 2071835, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 152 - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 1,461 total, 400 in this make and model, 274 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15IA230](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15IA230) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150430005559I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. 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. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CEN15IA230](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15IA230), Apr 30, 2015: Cessna 152 (N49158), Pilot Point, TX, incident, minor damage. Probable cause: The loss of engine power due to the separation of the distributor gear arm on the left magneto. ## Other reports on N49158 (3) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20170308002429I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170308002429I), Mar 8, 2017: Cessna 152 (N49158), Decatur, TX, Minor damage. N49158 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… - [Incident 19850904049599I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19850904049599I), Sep 4, 1985: Cessna 152 (N49158), Mansfield, MA, Minor damage. Bounced on crosswind landing until nose gear collapsed. - [Incident 19790527028059I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19790527028059I), May 27, 1979: Cessna 152 (N49158), Pennington, NJ, Minor damage. Ran off end of runway after aborting takeoff, flipped over on top. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.