WPR21LA055

During the preflight inspection, water was found in a fuel sample taken from the gascolator. Three subsequent samples were taken from the gascolator, which revealed no water. Fuel samples taken from each of the wing tanks revealed no water contamination. The pilot departed on a cross-country flight when, about 10 to 15 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost partial power and the pilot diverted to a nearby airport; he could not recall anything after that. The airplane came to rest about 1 nautical mile southwest of the diversion airport and sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed water in the right fuel tank, gascolator, the carburetor inlet hose, and the carburetor bowl. A maintenance logbook entry made about 8 days before the accident revealed that contaminated fuel had been found in the fuel system. After the fuel had been drained and the airplane refueled, the engine was started and ran normally. Based on the available information, the engine lost total power due to fuel contamination, which resulted in a forced landing and substantial damage to the airplane.

On November 13, 2020, about 2004 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 152, N757PY, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near San Bernardino, California. The pilot sustained a minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot reported that the purpose of the accident flight was to reposition the airplane from Chino Airport (CNO), Chino, California, to Ernest A. Love Field (PRC), Prescott, Arizona, for his employer, who had just purchased the airplane. The pilot met with the chief pilot of the organization who previously owned the airplane, who provided him with the airplane’s normal and emergency checklists. They then performed the preflight together, which revealed no water during the fuel sump of each wing; however, water was detected when the fuel was sumped from the gascolator. The pilot stated that the chief pilot then took three additional fuel samples from the gascolator, which revealed no water. The pilot then performed an engine runup with no anomalies noted and subsequently departed. The pilot stated that, about 10 to 15 minutes after departure, the engine rpm suddenly decreased to about 1,600. He performed the emergency checklist, but this did not resolve the loss of engine power. He elected to land at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), San Bernardino, California, but had no memory of what happened after that. The airplane, which came to rest about 1.14 nautical miles southwest of the departure end on SBD runway 24, sustained structural damage to both wings and fuselage because of the impact sequence. The pilot reported that the airplane had a total of 26 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel on board at the time of departure. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed water in the right fuel tank, the gascolator, the carburetor inlet hose, and the carburetor bowl. There were no other anomalies observed with the airframe or engine. A review of maintenance records revealed that, upon completion of an aircraft inspection on November 5, 2020, which was 8 days before the accident and at a tach time of 8,782.6 hours, the following maintenance logbook entry was made: “Found contaminated fuel in the fuel system. Drained system, refuel[ed] with 100 LL AVGAS. Work is performed with current Cessna 152 maintenance manual. Engine ran ok."