- 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.
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.