Cessna 152 engine surge diverts and lands at closed Naval Station

A Cessna 152 developed an engine problem over the San Francisco Bay Area and was forced to choose between deteriorating weather and a closed airport that offered a usable landing surface.

The Engine Problem

On December 20, 2024, N102UC reported a loss of RPM accompanied by engine surging. The problem turned a routine general-aviation flight into an immediate diversion decision.

The pilot initially considered San Rafael, but instrument meteorological conditions made that option unsuitable. The aircraft then attempted to divert toward Oakland.

The Diversion Narrows

As the engine condition worsened, the pilot needed an airport that could be reached without continuing to rely on the failing engine for an extended period.

The pilot ultimately chose the closed Naval Air Station Alameda. Although the field was not operating as a normal civil airport, it provided a runway on which the aircraft could be put down.

The Landing

The decision avoided continuing toward an airport that the aircraft could no longer safely reach under the worsening engine condition. The incident was captured through the original air-traffic-control recording used for the flight sequence.

The engine problem forced the pilot to evaluate airports in sequence. San Rafael was not usable under the prevailing IMC, so the aircraft was pointed toward Oakland. That option also became less attractive as the engine condition worsened.

The choice of the closed Naval Air Station Alameda was therefore an emergency landing decision rather than a normal diversion. The field was decommissioned, but it offered a runway that could be reached without continuing to stretch the aircraft's deteriorating engine condition.

The engine symptoms were serious enough that the pilot could not rely on the original destination choices. The combination of RPM loss, surging and weather meant that the landing decision had to be made with the aircraft's remaining engine performance in mind.

The FAA separately reported that a Cessna C152 landed safely at the decommissioned Naval Air Station Alameda around 10:35 a.m. local time on December 20, 2024, after the pilot reported an engine issue, with two people aboard.

The emergency was shaped by both the engine condition and the weather. The pilot could not simply continue toward a normal airport if the engine was becoming less reliable and the available weather was deteriorating.

“Unable to land in San Rafael due to IMC conditions they attempted a diversion to Oakland.”

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