Cessna 152 accident near Louisburg, North Carolina, December 20, 2003
On December 20, 2003 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93002, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisburg, North Carolina. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Other maintenance personnel's inadequate engine overhaul that resulted in engine case fretting and engine oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2003 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Louisburg, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93002 · registry record · serial 152-85374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI and student were completing a cross-country flight, and were six miles from the destination airport flying at 2500 feet, when the engine started to run rough for 20 to 30 seconds then quit. The CFI went through the emergency checklist but was unable to restart the engine. The CFI selected a nearby field for an emergency landing. During the landing roll, the nose wheel collided with a ditch and collapsed. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose gear collapsed, the propeller bent, and the firewall damaged. The engine teardown revealed wear and fretting on the main journals, and bearing movement that resulted in engine oil starvation to the crankshaft.. The center journal was loose and appears to have spun, cutting off the oil passage. The last engine overhaul was on January 22, 2001, and approximately 1,102.7 hours had been flown since that overhaul.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,329 hours in all; 535 in this make and model; 255 in the last 90 days; 1,272 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,516.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 25, 2003; 27.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Kinston NC at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Louisburg NC
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from RDU, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N93002 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04LA058.