- Date
- October 17, 1997, 17:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Quincy, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N68299Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971017043499A
- Case key
- 10819
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
improper in-flight planning/decision by the flight instructor (CFI), by switching 'OFF' the fuel selector valve of the single-engine airplane (starving the engine of fuel) to 'simulate' an emergency. Factors relating to the accident were: the soft and uneven terrain conditions in the emergency landing area.
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 flight instructor (CFI) sent the student pilot on a solo flight after having flown with her earlier in the day. The CFI said the student departed with 20 gallons of fuel aboard the airplane. The student returned about 1 hour later. The CFI said he went flying with the student to check her progress. During this flight, the CFI moved the fuel selector to the 'OFF' position to simulate an engine failure. According to the CFI, the student performed the emergency engine starting procedures, and the fuel selector was returned to the 'ON' position. The CFI said his attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. He said he made a forced landing in the best field available, which was bottom land that had been disked (or plowed). During the landing, the airplane nosed over and was extensively damaged. The accident was reported about 2 months after it occurred. The airplane was not available for examination, and no reason was found to explain why an in-flight restart of the engine was not attained.
Factual narrative
On October 17, 1997, at 1720 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 152, N68299, piloted by a flight instructor, giving dual instruction to a student pilot, was destroyed when it nosed over during a forced landing onto a plowed field following a total loss of engine power. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The flight instructor and student pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Quincy, Illinois, at 1615 cst.
The flight instructor said he had flown the airplane earlier in the day with the student pilot. He said he assigned the student solo flight maneuvers after refueling the airplane so it would depart with 20 gallons of fuel on board.
The instructor said the student had flown about 1 hour and returned to the airport. He said he "...went up with her once again to check her status on the maneuvers." The instructor said he "...turned the fuel off to simulate an engine failure." According to the instructor, the student performed the emergency procedures associated with an engine failure. He said he returned the fuel selector to the "ON" position. The instructor said he attempted to start the engine without success.
The instructor said that he "...set the airplane up for an emergency landing." He said he "...chose... the best [field] in the area considering the altitude we at and our rate of descent." The instructor said the airplane touched down in the field and the next event he recalled was the student "...calling his name several times."
The accident was reported to the NTSB about 2 months after it occurred. The airplane was not available for examination.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68299
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282238
- Airframe hours
- 4,702
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Matthew A. Short
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 17, 1997 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- UIN
- Destination
- UIN
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 542 total · 248 in this make and model · 462 as pilot in command · 137 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.