ERA15LA248

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 152 · St. Augustine, FL · June 18, 2015

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 18, 2015, 14:20 local (18:20 UTC)
Place
St. Augustine, FL
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N6553LCessna 152
Defining event
Takeoff: Loss of engine power (partial)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 13, 2020
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20150618023499A
Case key
91421

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

A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Findings · 1

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Not determinedNot determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determinedCessna 152: 15 casesAll aircraft: 2,247 casesProbable cause

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The flight instructor reported that she and the student were performing practice takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. During the fourth takeoff, at an altitude of about 200 ft above ground level, the engine lost partial power. The instructor took control of the airplane and initiated a left turn to return to the airport. The airplane touched down in a grassy area perpendicular to a taxiway, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane continued across the taxiway, where it came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage. Photographs of the airplane after the accident showed evidence of some fuel spillage on the taxiway; however, the fuel on board at the time of the accident was not quantified. There were no anomalies noted during an engine test run with a replacement carburetor and propeller. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Factual narrative

On June 18, 2015, about 1420 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N6553L, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on takeoff from Northeast Florida Regional Airport (SGJ), St. Augustine, Florida. The student pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was privately owned and operated by Florida Aviation Career Training as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The flight instructor stated that she and the student pilot had departed SGJ about 40 minutes earlier and practiced maneuvers in the local practice area before returning to the airport for practice takeoffs and landings. During the fourth takeoff, at an altitude about 200 ft above ground level, the engine experienced a partial loss of power. The flight instructor assumed control of the airplane and initiated a left turn to return to the airport. The airplane touched down in a grassy area perpendicular to taxiway Bravo, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane continued across the taxiway, where it came to rest upright. Photographs provided of the airplane after the accident showed evidence of some fuel spillage on the taxiway; however, the fuel onboard at the time of the accident was not quantified. The airplane was transported to a storage facility, where an engine test run was performed with a replacement carburetor and propeller. There were no anomalies observed during the engine run.

Aircraft

Registration
N6553L
Reported as
Cessna 152
Category
Airplane
Serial number
15284431
Built
1980
Engine
Lycoming O-235 SERIES, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Florida Aviation Career Training
Registered owner
T And D Ventures
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
Departed
SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
Destination
SGJ · St. Augustine, FL
Airport
SGJ · Northeast Florida Rgnl
Equipment
Unknown

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
Flight instructor
Age
26
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
March 25, 2015
Seat
Right
Flight hours
0 total · 0 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
130° at 13 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
90 °F, dew point 79 °F
Altimeter
30.09 inHg
Observed at
KSGJ

Docket · 3

The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 3, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 452 KB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.