Cessna 152 CS-AUK accident at Portinho da Arrábida

Flight History and Accident Sequence On 6 August 2000, a Cessna 152 with registration CS-AUK departed Aeródromo de Cascais at 15:54 UTC for a private recreational navigation flight. The aircraft carried one pilot and one passenger. The planned route was from Tires directly to Cabo Espichel, then to Tróia, and back to Cascais, at 1,000 feet under visual flight rules. After overflying Cabo Espichel, the aircraft requested and was authorized by Lisbon Flight Information Service to continue along the coastline to Tróia at 500 feet. At 16:20, radar contact was lost near Barbas de Cavalo, Portinho da Arrábida. Subsequent radio attempts on 123.75 MHz and emergency frequency 121.5 MHz were unsuccessful. ## Witness Accounts and Recovery Witnesses from fishing boats reported seeing the aircraft fly below the cliff line, bank left, then right, and strike the water. The aircraft sank immediately, and no assistance could be provided. The exact time of the accident could not be confirmed but was presumed to be shortly after 16:20. Wreckage and the bodies of the two occupants were located on 11 August 2000 by the Portuguese Navy vessel NRP Andrómeda. The aircraft was totally destroyed. ## Aircraft and Pilot Information The aircraft was a 1978 Cessna 152, serial number 152-80376, owned by Aeroclube de Portugal. It was powered by a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine and equipped with a McCauley two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The pilot was a 27-year-old Portuguese male with a valid Class 1 medical certificate and a total of 342:30 hours of flight experience. ## Meteorological and Other Factors Meteorological data from Setúbal indicated variable winds with gusts and high temperatures. The report admitted the existence of strong turbulence caused by the terrain orography, supported by a helicopter crew's report of heavy turbulence in the area. The aircraft was not equipped with flight recorders.