- Date
- August 25, 1989, 11:25 local (15:25 UTC)
- Place
- Selbyville, DE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N67803Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890825031899A
- Case key
- 11525
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Excessive wear of the number four exhaust lobe on the camshaft and poor condition (wear) of the number four exhaust tappet. The soybean crop in the emergency landing area was considered to be a factor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft had just climbed out after a banner pickup when the eng began to run rough. The plt adjusted the mixture & the eng temporarily smoothed out. About 2 minutes later, the eng ran rough again & the plt released the banner. The eng began a severe vibration, backfired, & quit running. Subsequently, the acft nosed over drg an emergency landing in a soybean field. An eng teardown revealed the #4 exhaust lobe of the camshaft was worn & that the $4 exhaust tappet was in poor condition. Also, there was evidence that the #4 connecting rod had been subjected to high temp.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67803
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282028
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A2F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas Calvanelli
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- 0N7 · Selbyville, DE
- Airport
- ON7 · Warrington
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 450 in this make and model · 480 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N67803 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.