N94929

On February 1, 1998, about 1413 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N94929, owned by Gateway Aviation Inc., operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, impacted with trees near Ochopee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot was seriously injured and one passenger received minor injuries. The flight had originated from Opa Locka, Florida, at 1330.

The pilot had refueled at Everglades City, Florida, and was en route back to Opa Locka. At an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the pilot reported that the engine lost power and ran rough. He elected to land on a road that was perpendicular to Highway 41. The airplane was seen touching down on the road, but was heading towards the intersection of the road and the highway where the Sheriff's Department was working a motor vehicle accident. As the airplane approached the activity at the highway intersection, the pilot attempted to take off to avoid hitting the vehicles and people. The airplane went nose high, turned 90 degrees to the left, and descended nose first into the trees.

The pilot stated that at first he "...couldn't determine the cause of the engine roughness...we reached US41, but I noticed it was crowded...I tried to avoid US41...[and] I suddenly realized a small road. We tried to land there." In addition, he stated that when the airplane touched down on the road, it was "slippery" which made it "hard to stop." As the airplane moved towards the highway, the pilot noticed that the people were still on the road, so he tried to avoid hitting them by "lift[ing] the plane and over flew US41." The pilot said, "...unfortunately since we lost speed in the landing, we didn't have enough power and we stalled into the trees."

The engine was examined on February 12, 1998, at a hanger at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, under the supervision of the NTSB investigator in charge. An examination and partial teardown of the engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was broken off at the base of the stem and was found in the combustion chamber. The bottom part of the valve was retrieved from inside the muffler, along with pieces of the valve seat. Damage from the valve was found on the cylinder head and piston top. A hole was found in the top of the piston. Further examination of the broken valve stem revealed that it was pitted and corroded.

According to the FAA inspector's statement, the engine showed "signs of having been operated at high temperatures for a considerable length of time." The external examination of the engine revealed corrosion on the exterior of the steel cylinder barrels. The paint on the cylinder heads was blistered and peeled. The ignition system harness was found worn and tattered. The engine log books revealed that the engine had been operated about 840 hours past the manufacture's recommended overhaul time. The manufacture's recommended time before overhaul was 2,400 hours