Cessna 152 N47147

Summary

On 20 October 2002 at about 18:50 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N47147 was involved in an accident near Salisbury, Massachusetts, 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

20 October 2002 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Salisbury, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

42.8344, -70.8294

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N47147

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beverly → Lawrence

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC03LA010

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. Factors in this accident were the corroded fuel tanks caps, and an inadequate annual inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and observed water in the fuel system. The pilot drained the fuel system and allowed the engine to operate for "well over 15 minutes," prior to takeoff. The airplane departed uneventfully; however, later in the flight, while maneuvering, it experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and performed a forced landing to a marsh area. Examination of the airplane and engine, which included draining fuel samples from both wing fuel tanks, the gascolator and the carburetor, revealed significant amounts of water contamination throughout the airplane's fuel system. The undersides of both the right and left wing fuel caps exhibited evidence of corrosion. The right wing fuel cap seal was severely worn and cracked. The airplane was parked outside for over a week and a check of weather observations reported for the area during the two week period prior to the accident, revealed several observations which included precipitation. The airplane had been operated for about 15 hours since it's most recent annual inspection, which was performed about 2 months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.