- Date
- July 2, 1990, 16:11 local (23:11 UTC)
- Place
- Fullerton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N48418Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900702023449A
- Case key
- 26856
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
The warped condition of the engine valves and valve seats due to excessive and repeated thermal shock cycles.
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 student said that while flying toward the airport, the engine power output suddenly dropped and varied between 900 and 1,400 RPM. The power was insufficient to maintain flight and the student said he realized he could not make the airport. He saw a level dirt road at a construction site and made a forced landing. The aircraft contacted ground obstacles during the landing roll and nosed over. Teardown of the engine revealed that all valves and valve seats were warped, with evidence of exhaust gasses entering the intake ports. The engine was reportedly at tbo.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48418
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15283337
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Facilities, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- FUL
- Destination
- FUL
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
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 58 total · 58 in this make and model · 21 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.