- Date
- April 14, 2008, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Okeechobee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N67334Cessna 152K
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel contamination
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080414837329A
- Case key
- 67816
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 loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel contamination, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Findings · 2
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 pilot stated that she departed on a cross-country flight with the intent of stopping at several airports along the way. She did a touch-and-go landing at one airport, and made a full stop landing at the next airport. The airplane was serviced with 6 gallons of fuel, and the pilot departed for her original airport. About 10 minutes after taking off, the engine lost power. The pilot followed the published emergency procedures, and attempted two unsuccessful restarts of the engine while searching for a forced landing area. She landed the airplane on a road, but it nosed over and came to rest in the inverted position resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no obvious mechanical deficiencies with the engine. The inspector also saw that the gascolator contained a significant amount of water. In an interview with the inspector, the pilot stated that she drained the fuel tank sumps before her first flight, but did not do so before the accident flight. She also stated she did not drain the gascolator prior to the accident flight.
Factual narrative
According to the 145-hour pilot of the Cessna 152, she departed on a cross-country flight with the intent of stopping at several airports along the way. The pilot performed a touch-and-go landing at one airport and subsequently made a full stop landing at the next airport. The airplane was serviced with 6 gallons of fuel, and the pilot then restarted the airplane and departed for her original airport. About 10 minutes after taking off, the engine lost power. The pilot followed the published emergency procedures and attempted two unsuccessful restarts of the engine while searching for a forced landing area. The pilot landed the airplane on a road, but it nosed over and came to rest in the inverted position resulting in the substantial damage of the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no obvious mechanical deficiencies with the engine. The inspector also observed that the gascolator contained a significant amount of water. In an interview with the inspector, the pilot stated that she drained the fuel tank sumps before her first flight but did no do so before the accident flight. The pilot also stated she did not drain the gascolator prior to the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67334
- Reported as
- Cessna 152K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15281762
- Airframe hours
- 12,507
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Orlando Flight Training, Inc.
- Registered owner
- N70FT, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 2008
- Departed
- OBE · Okeechobee, FL
- Destination
- ISM · Kissimmee, FL
- Airport
- OBE · Okeechobee County Airport
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
- 24
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 145 total · 110 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- OBE, 5 nm away
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 N67334 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.