- Date
- October 17, 1992, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Petersham, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N49269Cessna C-152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921017042349A
- Case key
- 37262
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 imprpoer maintenance procedures which resulted in engine failure and subsequent forced landing on unsuitable terrain.
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 pilot and the instructor were conducting a simulated forced landing. The instructor said, '[the] engine failed to respond to throttle application after prolonged power off.' The pilot said that he used carburetor heat prior to and during the descent. He also said that he cleared the engine several times. The instructor performed a forced landing in a field. There was a large streak of oil from the engine to the tail of the airplane. Examination revealed that the #3 cylinder oil drain line was disconnected. FAA inspectors found approximately 2 quarts of oil in the engine crankcase. The #3 cylinder had been replaced prior to this flight. It was also found that the rings on this cylinder were chrome, and the cylinder was chrome. This was against the recommendations of the engine manufacturer. The #3 cylinder walls were scorched.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49269
- Reported as
- Cessna C-152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15281214
- Airframe hours
- 6,513
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Amity Aircraft Flight School
- Registered owner
- Deborah Giordano
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- ORH · Worcester, MA
- Destination
- ORH
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
- 62
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 21,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 19,300 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 23 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORH, 25 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.