On November 18, 2013, a CESSNA 152 (registration N555UF) operated by United Flight Systems was involved in an aviation accident near Spring, TX. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's failure to maintain airspeed following a partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of airplane control. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 16 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On November 17, 2013, a Cessna 152, N555UF, crashed during a night training flight at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport in Spring, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were killed after an engine power loss during a touch-and-go exercise.
Accident Overview and Flight Progression On November 17, 2013, at 1915 central standard time, a Cessna model 152 airplane, registration N555UF, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH) in Spring, Texas. The flight, operated by United Flight Systems under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, was a local night visual training flight that departed DWH at 1900. The flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. According to air traffic control data, the purpose of the instructional flight was to practice night takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. The tower cleared the aircraft for a left traffic pattern for touch-and-go landings on runway 17R. After completing a first touch-and-go, the aircraft was cleared for a second. Following the second landing and initial climb, the flight instructor reported engine problems and requested a 180-degree turn back to the airport. The tower controller observed the aircraft enter a steep left bank and descend nose-down into terrain on the east side of the airport. Witnesses reported an abnormal engine sound and saw the aircraft in a steep left turn before a near-vertical descent. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The flight instructor, age 22, held a commercial pilot certificate and a flight instructor certificate. His logbook showed 332.4 total flight hours, with 166 hours in Cessna 152 airplanes and only 13.2 hours of night flight time. The student pilot, age 23, was a foreign national with a total of 53.8 hours of flight experience, all in Cessna 152 airplanes, and had no prior night flight experience. The accident aircraft was a 1981 Cessna model 152, serial number 15284692, powered by a 110-horsepower Lycoming model O-235-L2C engine. The airframe had accumulated 15,699.4 total service hours at the time of the accident. ## Maintenance and Technical Findings Post-accident investigation found all airframe structural components and flight controls at the accident site. The wreckage was located on the east side of the airport, north of taxiway hotel and east of taxiway mike. The initial impact point was where the right wing collided with the northwest corner of a hangar structure. The engine remained attached to the firewall, and mechanical continuity was confirmed from engine components to cockpit controls. Internal engine and valve train continuity was confirmed. The carburetor fuel bowl contained liquid consistent with 100 low-lead aviation fuel. One of the two carburetor floats was found flooded with blue fluid consistent with 100 low-lead aviation fuel, while the second float was void of fuel. The propeller blades exhibited minor leading edge damage but no appreciable spanwise bends or blade twist. ## Regulatory and Service Bulletin Compliance Precision Airmotive LLC, the manufacturer of the MA-3A carburetor, issued Mandatory Service Bulletin No. MSA-13 on January 30, 2008, requiring the replacement of brass and polymer hollow floats with a new solid-epoxy float design to eliminate known issues of hollow floats becoming flooded with fuel. Lycoming Engines issued Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 582 on July 18, 2008, requiring compliance with MSA-13 for Lycoming engines equipped with certain carburetors. Volare Carburetors LLC issued Service Bulletin No. SB-2 on February 1, 2009, and Service Bulletin No. SB-5 on April 2, 2009, reiterating and clarifying the need to replace hollow floats with solid-epoxy floats. A review of maintenance records established that the carburetor was rebuilt and tested by Precision Airmotive on August 11, 2004, before being installed on the accident engine during a field overhaul completed on November 4, 2004. The engine overhaul documentation specified a 2,400-hour time between overhaul (TBO), but the engine had accumulated 3,674.3 hours since its last overhaul at the time of the accident. Reviewed maintenance information did not contain documentation that Service Bulletin Nos. MSA-13, 582, SB-2, or SB-5 had been complied with.