Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 152 near Venice, FL — 2015-03-03

Final reportERA15LA145
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Date
2015-03-03
Location
Venice, FL, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 152
Registration
N498TC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident testing of the engine revealed no anomalies.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that he and the student pilot departed on a local training flight. After completing maneuvers at 2,000 ft, the flight instructor initiated a simulated engine failure and proceeded to demonstrate the forced landing procedure to the student. He selected a field as the forced landing location and applied carburetor heat. After turning onto final approach for the field at an altitude of about 500 ft, the flight instructor discontinued the simulation by turning off the carburetor heat and applying engine power to initiate a climb. The flight instructor stated that the engine then "sputtered and produced no power," and he subsequently conducted a forced landing to the field. During postaccident examination of the airplane, no fuel was observed in either of the two wing fuel tanks; however, the fuel quantity at the time of the accident could not be determined because a fuel line was damaged during impact, and fuel might have leaked out postaccident. An auxiliary fuel supply was plumbed into the fuel system, and the engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously with no anomalies observed.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Ensuring adequate fuel before initiating flight training maneuvers.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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