Cessna 152 accident near Hillsboro, Oregon, May 26, 2018
On May 26, 2018 at about 4:35 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 152, registered N152GB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Hillsboro, Oregon (Portland-Hillsboro airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power during a go-around due to the loose copper electrode finger inside the left magneto.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2018 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Hillsboro, Oregon · Portland-Hillsboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES, built 1977 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N152GB · registry record · serial 15279546
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting takeoffs and landings during an instructional flight, the student pilot initiated a go-around. Shortly thereafter, the engine began to run rough and lost partial power. The instructor attempted to troubleshoot the engine, but was unable to restore engine power, and initiated a forced landing to a grass area beyond the end of the runway, during which the airplane nosed over. Examination of the engine revealed that the left magneto was producing spark randomly across its four posts. Internal examination of that magneto revealed that the distributor gear was intact; however, the copper electrode finger was found displaced from the plastic gear assembly. A service bulletin issued by the magneto manufacturer about three years before the accident stated that some units contained distributor gears that exhibited loose electrode fingers, the symptoms of which included "unusual RPM drop during magneto check, difficulty starting, and/or rough running engines." A separate service bulletin issued 38 years before the accident specified that the magnetos should be inspected internally every 500 hours. The operator reported that, at the time of the accident, the magneto had accumulated 402.7 hours since its most recent internal inspection. The operator further reported they conducted internal inspections of the magnetos every 750 hours. It is likely that the loose copper electrode finger resulted in the partial loss of engine power during the go-around.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach (VFR go-around)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 41 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 447 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 149 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 369 as pilot in command; 160 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,267.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 27, 2018; 4.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,669 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hillsboro Aero Academy LLC
The flight
- Departed from: HIO Hillsboro OR at 4:20 pm
- Destination: HIO Hillsboro OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31R, 3,600 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from KHIO, 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on March 10, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Magneto Examination Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Magneto Service Times Provided by the Operator | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Evidence Control Form - Magnetos | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.