Cessna 152 accident near Selbyville, Delaware, August 25, 1989
On August 25, 1989 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N67803, was substantially damaged in an accident near Selbyville, Delaware (Warrington airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
EXCESSIVE WEAR OF THE NUMBER FOUR EXHAUST LOBE ON THE CAMSHAFT AND POOR CONDITION (WEAR) OF THE NUMBER FOUR EXHAUST TAPPET. THE SOYBEAN CROP IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1989 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Selbyville, Delaware · Warrington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N67803 · no longer on the register · serial 15282028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD JUST CLIMBED OUT AFTER A BANNER PICKUP WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. THE PLT ADJUSTED THE MIXTURE & THE ENG TEMPORARILY SMOOTHED OUT. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER, THE ENG RAN ROUGH AGAIN & THE PLT RELEASED THE BANNER. THE ENG BEGAN A SEVERE VIBRATION, BACKFIRED, & QUIT RUNNING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT NOSED OVER DRG AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A SOYBEAN FIELD. AN ENG TEARDOWN REVEALED THE #4 EXHAUST LOBE OF THE CAMSHAFT WAS WORN & THAT THE $4 EXHAUST TAPPET WAS IN POOR CONDITION. ALSO, THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE #4 CONNECTING ROD HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO HIGH TEMP.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 520 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 480 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0N7 Selbyville DE at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N67803 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.