Cessna 152 N5144B

Summary

On 14 December 1998 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N5144B, operated by Kyle Flood, was involved in an accident near Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 December 1998 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Shelbyville, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.4907, -86.4394

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N5144B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kyle Flood

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Murfreesboro → Huntsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL99LA034

Nobody was injured.

Water contamination of the fuel supply, resulting from the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that approximately forty-five minutes into the flight, the engine rpm dropped and subsequently lost power. Attempts by the student pilot to restore full engine power, failed. The student pilot made an emergency landing in an open field. Examination of the airplane disclosed that the nose gear assembly had sheared off and, that the engine firewall had sustained impact damage. The examination also revealed that a fuel line in the vicinity of the chin cowling had also ruptured and an unknown quantity of fuel was spilled. Approximately a quart of liquid was recovered from the fuel system; 90% of the liquid was clear water. Water was also discovered in the carburetor bowl, and the filter assembly. Reportedly the airplane was refueled about two days before the accident, and subsequent to the refueling, the area experienced severe thunderstorm activity. Security of the fuel caps after the refueling was not confirmed. The pilot did not report checking and securing the fuel caps during the preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.