Cessna 152 accident near Sanford, Florida, March 16, 2006
On March 16, 2006 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N25566, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Florida (Orlando Sanford International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power during takeoff-initial climb due to contamination (debris) lodged in the carburetor jet, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2006 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · Orlando Sanford International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N25566 · registry record · serial 15280734
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A flight instructor and his student were practicing touch and go landings during a CFR Part 91 instructional flight. During the upwind portion of the landing pattern, about 200 feet agl, the engine lost power. The instructor took control of the airplane, declared an emergency, and began a right turn toward a road. He then saw a clearing and turned toward it, but the left wing collided with a tree during the landing flare. During the landing roll, the nose gear strut collapsed, and the airplane collided with a wooden greenhouse. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and engine and found debris in the main metering jet. The debris appeared to be small flakes of a white material. The inspector noted that the debris was larger than the fuel inlet screen. The carburetor was removed and examined at a maintenance facility. No additional foreign object or debris was found. A small leak was found at the accelerator valve. According to the operator, a previously overhauled carburetor was installed on the engine on March 13, 2006, about 9.6 hours before the accident.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 782 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 632 as pilot in command; 413 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 18 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,239 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 2006; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Orlando FL at 5:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KSFB, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N25566 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.