N5115B

On July 31, 1993 at approximately 1730 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N5115B, was substantially damaged during a forced landing 18 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. The pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed.

The pilot stated in his pilot/operator report that he wanted to take some aerial photographs of friends on Padre Island and he made "several circuits around the group." On the last circuit, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing on the beach. During the landing roll, the right main landing gear sank into the soft sand and the airplane nosed over.

The passenger submitted an affidavit in which he said the pilot was "showing off a bit, doing high rates of turns at low altitude and at slow speeds." He further stated that during one of the turns, the "nose dropped" and the pilot "couldn't get the nose up." The pilot "tried to increase the throttle and increase the flaps. Because of the increase in the flaps, the speed of the plane decreased further and the plane thus lost further altitude and crashed into the sand dunes."

According to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who went to the scene, witnesses stated that the the airplane appeared to stall at low altitude before striking the ground. One witness said he heard the engine sputter and saw dark smoke coming from the exhaust. The engine was later examined and the lower spark plugs were found to be glazed and had excessive lead deposits. The engine was functionally tested and operated satisfactorily.