Cessna 152 accident near Griswold, Connecticut, October 8, 1990
On October 8, 1990 at about 1:10 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4708M, was destroyed in an accident near Griswold, Connecticut (Lake Side airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A BROKEN EHAUST VALVE SPRING THAT RESULTED IN A PARTIAL LOSS OF POWER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN, AND FAILURE OF THE OCCUPANTS TO USE THEIR SHOULDER HARNESSES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1990 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Griswold, Connecticut · Lake Side
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4708M · no longer on the register · serial 15284479
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT & PSGR WERE ON A LOCAL FLT AT NGT. PSNL AT THE ARPT NOTED THAT THE RWY LIGHTS HAD BEEN ACTIVATED, BUT NO ACFT WAS SEEN TO LAND. THE ACFT WAS FND THE NEXT MORNING ABOUT 6 MI NORTHEAST OF THE ARPT, WHERE IT HAD HIT TREES & CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED IT HAD IMPACTED TREES, WHILE IN A SHALLOW DSCNT. A LACK OF ROTATIONAL SCARRING WAS NOTED ON THE PROP; ONLY 1 BLADE WAS DEFORMED & ONLY 1 BLADE CONTAINED LEADING EDGE NICKS. THE FLAPS WERE FND IN THE FULLY EXTENDED (30 DEG) POSITION, BUT THE FLAP INDICATOR SHOWED ONLY 10 DEGS OF FLAPS. ABOUT 8 GAL OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN EACH WING TANK. A CHECK OF THE ENG REVEALED A LACK OF COMPRESSION IN THE #3 CYLINDER DUE TO A BROKEN EXHAUST VALVE SPRING. NO OTHER PRE-ACDNT ANOMALIES WERE FND. THE PLT & PSGR WERE NOT WEARING THEIR AVAILABLE SHOULDER HARNESSES.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 430 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 395 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,683 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 1989; 114 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5B4 Griswold at 11:45 pm
- Destination: 5B4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,520 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am from GON, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.