Flight History
On September 22, 2008, at 1647 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, registration N271RJ, made an off-airport forced landing after takeoff from McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California. Rainbow Air Academy, Inc. operated the airplane under 14 CFR Part 91. The certificated private pilot and student pilot-rated passenger sustained serious injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight had departed Carlsbad with a planned destination of Long Beach Airport, Long Beach, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot had earlier departed from Long Beach in the accident airplane. Before that outbound trip, he encountered difficulty starting the engine and a mechanic assisted, who found no problems. When the engine started, it ran excessively rough during the magneto check. The pilot resolved this by increasing engine speed to 2,200 rpm and leaning the fuel mixture for about 1 minute before performing another magneto check. The flight to Carlsbad was uneventful.
After landing in Carlsbad, the pilot taxied to the run-up area and performed the before takeoff checklist. During the magneto check, the engine ran rougher than it had at Long Beach. He followed the same procedures but the engine continued to run rough. He performed the procedures a second time, running the engine at 2,200 rpm with the mixture set lean for about 5 minutes, after which the magneto check performed correctly.
After completing the before takeoff checklist, the pilot pulled the fuel mixture control out approximately 1/2 inch and kept it at that setting during takeoff. He stated he did this to prevent the mixture from becoming rich during the initial climb. The airplane departed from runway 24. During the initial climb at about 400 feet above ground level, the airplane began to vibrate, the propeller slowed, and the engine started to lose power. The pilot checked the fuel mixture, carburetor heat, and magneto positions, then trimmed for best glide airspeed. Concerned about power transmission lines, he turned north and attempted to restart the engine during the descent. He stated he may have stalled the airplane before impact.
Witness Observations
A witness located on a golf course adjacent to the departure end of the runway observed the airplane shortly after takeoff. His attention was drawn by an unusual "underpowered" sound. He observed the airplane yaw to the right, hesitate, and then begin a descending right turn to the east. The airplane continued the descent toward a rising bluff. Just before reaching the bluff, the airplane's nose abruptly dropped, and it collided with steep rising terrain. The witness did not observe any smoke trailing from the airplane during flight.
Personnel Information
The 25-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land, issued July 30, 2008. He held a first-class airman medical certificate issued in March 2007 with no limitations. His pilot logbook showed 163 total hours of flight experience as of September 18, 2008.
The student pilot-rated passenger held a combined student pilot and first-class airman medical certificate issued in June 2008. His logbook showed 7.5 hours of dual instruction flight experience as of September 20, 2008.
Aircraft Information
The high-wing, single-engine Cessna 152 was manufactured in 1978. At the time of the accident, it had accrued a total time in service of 11,340.9 hours. An airframe and engine 100-hour inspection was completed on August 28, 2008, 45.5 flight hours before the accident. The Lycoming O-235-L2C 115-horsepower engine had a total time in service of 12,707.5 hours, with 451.8 flight hours since its most recent major overhaul in December 2006.
Meteorological Information
An aviation routine weather report for Carlsbad issued at 1653 indicated winds from 240 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies, temperature 21°C, dew point 14°C, and altimeter 29.89 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on the southwest-facing slope of a bluff, 1,800 feet northwest of the departure end of runway 24, at an elevation of 221 feet. The airplane came to rest facing downhill. The cabin area sustained crush damage from the firewall through to the cabin seats. The tail section remained intact and partially attached by its control cables, folded forward at the vertical stabilizer leading edge. Both wings remained partially attached to the fuselage with similar leading edge crush damage. The engine remained partially attached to the firewall, which came to rest at a heading about 15 degrees right of the fuselage centerline. Approximately 10 gallons of clear blue fluid consistent with aviation gasoline was removed from the wing tanks during recovery.
Tests and Research
The wreckage was examined at a storage facility. The throttle control was full out and bent downward, carburetor heat was about 1 inch out, and the fuel mixture control was at the full forward position. The ignition key was set to the left magneto. Flaps corresponded to zero degrees. Control continuity was confirmed for rudder, aileron, and elevator. All fuel caps were secure. About 2.5 ounces of fuel was drained from the gascolator.
Cylinder head number one sustained damage. Drive train continuity was confirmed. Spark plugs: bottom plugs from cylinders two and four were oil soaked; others had light tan deposits indicating normal operation. The right magneto had separated at its fractured mounting flange; the left magneto remained attached. Magnetos produced sparks when rotated by hand, but their serial numbers did not match engine maintenance logbook entries. The carburetor had residual fuel and a rotational scratch inside the fuel bowl. Engine oil volume was about 4 quarts. Cylinder heads were disassembled; valves moved freely within guides and lateral movement was within tolerance. Piston crowns and skirts exhibited excessive black material deposits. No pre-mishap mechanical malfunction or failure was found.
Additional Information
Engine and airframe maintenance logbooks showed that an overhauled engine was installed on June 20, 2007, along with replacement of the firewall, lower skin assembly, engine mount, nose gear strut, and steering mechanism. NTSB records indicated no prior accident for the airplane as N271RJ; the last accident was in 1990 when registered as N68271.
Review of the before takeoff checklist aboard the airplane and in the Cessna 152 Pilot Operating Handbook indicated that for takeoff, the fuel mixture should be set to the full rich position.