Accident Overview
On April 19, 2020, at approximately 1040 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, registration N6306P, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Corona, California. The private pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Passenger Account
The passenger reported that he left the airplane before the flight for a period and did not see the pilot perform a preflight inspection. The pilot started the engine and taxied without incident. A runup was conducted, and no anomalies were noted. After takeoff, the airplane made left turns around the traffic pattern, touched down on the runway, and took off again. Shortly after turning onto the crosswind leg, the pilot stated, "oh we are going down." The passenger, who was managing ForeFlight on his tablet, looked up confused and, within about 10 seconds, the airplane impacted something and came to rest upside down on a roadway. Due to noise-canceling headphones, the passenger did not hear the engine quit or any abnormal noises.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that he recalled only about three seconds of the accident flight. He remembered being in a right turn and then feeling his body being forced about. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane as a wreck with the intention to rebuild and sell it. The airplane required extensive work and had flown a total of four short flights since the rebuild. He mentioned that he had recently found a significant amount of water in the fuel system after a storm. After sumping the entire fuel system and carburetor, he discovered that the fuel tank filler neck screws were too small. After replacing the screws, more storms passed through the area. He did not sump the fuel system prior to the accident flight and recalled asking the passenger to conduct the preflight inspection.
Carburetor Icing Conditions
According to the Federal Aviation Administration carburetor icing chart, the temperature and dewpoint spread at the time of the accident placed conditions on the border of serious icing at both glide and cruise power. The pilot reported that he does not often use carburetor heat.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine. The engine was rotated by hand, and thumb compression was established on all cylinders. The magnetos rotated and produced spark. Spark plugs were removed and exhibited normal operating signatures. Air was blown through the fuel system, and all lines were clear of debris. The carburetor bowl was mostly fractured from the carburetor; the bowl was empty, and the floats were clear of liquid. The fuel strainer was removed, and about a thimble of water was found in the bowl. The throttle and mixture controls were observed full forward, and the carburetor heat control was found in the off position.