Cessna 152 accident near Fairfield, California, December 2, 1983
On December 2, 1983, a Cessna 152, registered N48886, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairfield, California (Travis Aero Club airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 1983
- Place
- Fairfield, California · Travis Aero Club · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N48886 · no longer on the register · serial 15281029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF & WHILE CLIMBING THRU ABOUT 100 TO 300 FT, THE ENG LOST POWER. DURING A FORCED LANDING, THE ACFT IMPACTED A FENCE & A BERM, AND WENT OVER RAILROAD TRACKS, THEN CAME TO REST INVERTED IN A DITCH. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED CORROSION IN THE FUEL STRAINER. ABOUT 1 1/2 CUPS OF WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT FUEL TANK LINE & ABOUT 1/8 CUP OF WATER WAS DRAINED FROM THE LEFT FUEL TANK LINE. THIS WAS THE 1ST FLT SINCE THE ENG HAD BEEN REBUILT & INSTALLED.
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: flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 715 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 610 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N48886 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.