Cessna 152 accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, August 23, 2008
On August 23, 2008 at about 2:34 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N65436, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormond Beach Municipal 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
Both pilots' inadequate preflight inspection of the fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2008 · about 2:34 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormond Beach Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N65436 · no longer on the register · serial 15281551
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot of the Cessna 152 found water in the fuel tanks during the preflight inspection. Large amounts of fuel had to be sumped to ensure all the water was removed. Their 1-hour instructional flight was uneventful. They returned to the departing airport, landed and took a short break from flying. They then returned to the airplane to continue the instructional training of touch-and-go landings. The fuel system was not sumped before the second flight. During the initial climb after the first touch-and-go, the engine lost all power about 300 feet above the ground. The flight instructor took over control of the airplane and landed on a golf course fairway, striking trees before coming to a stop. Postcrash examination revealed 6 ounces of water in the gascolator and the right fuel tank cap had indication of leaking and infiltration.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel contamination during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
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: 1,737 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,662 as pilot in command; 1,384 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 3, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 14 hours in all; 14 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,508 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 2008; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ormond Beach Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 2:32 pm
- Destination: OMN Ormond Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft; scat at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 2:40 pm from OMN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N65436 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.