19990813012159A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Buckeye, AZ · August 13, 1999

Date
August 13, 1999 · 19:14 local
Place
Buckeye, AZ
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N49100
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX99LA269
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(Tty) forced landing on a dirt road and came to rest inverted. Engine failed. (.19) on August 13, 1999, at 1914 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 152, N49100, made a forced landing near Buckeye, Arizona. The aircraft was destroyed; however, neither the pilot nor his passenger was injured. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight by glendale aviation under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated in lake havasu city, Arizona, at 1645 on the afternoon of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that he was inbound to the glendale, Arizona airport when the engine began to miss. It resumed running a couple of time then quit. The pilot made a forced landing on a dirt road. The pilot told investigators that he had computed the fuel requirement for the flight by using the fuel consumption chart in the pilot operator's handbook. Based on his estimated fuel consumption of 6.5 gallons per hour, he determined that he had 3 hours 55 minutes of fuel available. At the time the engine quit, the hobbs meter showed that 3 hours 20 minutes had elapsed. When further asked about his planning, he acknowledged that he had not considered the additional fuel requirements for his initial takeoff and climb, nor seven other landings and takeoffs that he subsequently made during the flight. Aircraft retrieval personnel recovered less than 2 gallons of fuel from both of the main tanks. (-23)the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 2000 feet inbound to the glendale airport in Arizona,when the engine started to run rough. According to the pilot, the engine RPM fluxuated up and down several times before the engine quit running. The pilot forced landed on a dirt road of Buckeye airport. The aircraft was destroyed. Damage to the propeller, left wing and the fuselage. There were no injuries. The aircraft came to rest upright on it's nose. Visual meteorolgical prevailed. (.4)while inbound to his destination, the pilot reported that the engine began to miss. It resumed running a couple of times but finally stopped altogether. The pilot made a forced landing on a dirt road, damaging the aircraft. The aircraft was last serviced with 20.8 gallons of aviation fuel on the previous day. The pilot computed the fuel requirement for the flight by using the fuel consumption chart in the pilot operator's handbook. After a flight of 0.2 hours on the day before, the pilot estimated that he had 3 hours 55 minutes of fuel remaining (without reserve) for his cross-country flight. At the time the engine quit, the hobbs meter showed that a total of 3 hours 36 minutes had elapsed. The average fuel consumption for the fuel load was 6.8 gallons per hour. The fuel capacity of the aircraft is 26 gallons with 1.5 gallons unusable. When asked about his planning, he acknowledged that his planning estimate of 6 gallons per hour had not considered the additional fuel requirements for his initial takeoff and climb, nor the seven other landings and takeoffs that he subsequently made since his last refueling. According to the POH performance charts, start, taxi, and tak off requires 0.8 gallons of fuel. A/c retrieval personnel recovered less than 2 gallons of fuel from both of the main tanks and the fuel system was found to be intact. Safety board investigators successfully started and ran the engine after the accident.

As the FAA filed it

(TTY) FORCED LANDING ON A DIRT ROAD AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. ENGINE FAILED. (.19) ON AUGUST 13, 1999, AT 1914 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 152, N49100, MADE A FORCED LANDING NEAR BUCKEYE, ARIZONA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED; HOWEVER, NEITHER THE PILOT NOR HIS PASSENGER WAS INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT BY GLENDALE AVIATION UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA, AT 1645 ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS INBOUND TO THE GLENDALE, ARIZONA AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISS. IT RESUMED RUNNING A COUPLE OF TIME THEN QUIT. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A DIRT ROAD. THE PILOT TOLD INVESTIGATORS THAT HE HAD COMPUTED THE FUEL REQUIREMENT FOR THE FLIGHT BY USING THE FUEL CONSUMPTION CHART IN THE PILOT OPERATOR'S HANDBOOK. BASED ON HIS ESTIMATED FUEL CONSUMPTION OF 6.5 GALLONS PER HOUR, HE DETERMINED THAT HE HAD 3 HOURS 55 MINUTES OF FUEL AVAILABLE. AT THE TIME THE ENGINE QUIT, THE HOBBS METER SHOWED THAT 3 HOURS 20 MINUTES HAD ELAPSED. WHEN FURTHER ASKED ABOUT HIS PLANNING, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE HAD NOT CONSIDERED THE ADDITIONAL FUEL REQUIREMENTS FOR HIS INITIAL TAKEOFF AND CLIMB, NOR SEVEN OTHER LANDINGS AND TAKEOFFS THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY MADE DURING THE FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT RETRIEVAL PERSONNEL RECOVERED LESS THAN 2 GALLONS OF FUEL FROM BOTH OF THE MAIN TANKS. (-23)THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING AT AN ALTITUDE OF 2000 FEET INBOUND TO THE GLENDALE AIRPORT IN ARIZONA,WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE RPM FLUXUATED UP AND DOWN SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE ENGINE QUIT RUNNING. THE PILOT FORCED LANDED ON A DIRT ROAD OF BUCKEYE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, LEFT WING AND THE FUSELAGE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON IT'S NOSE. VISUAL METEOROLGICAL PREVAILED. (.4)WHILE INBOUND TO HIS DESTINATION, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISS. IT RESUMED RUNNING A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT FINALLY STOPPED ALTOGETHER. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A DIRT ROAD, DAMAGING THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LAST SERVICED WITH 20.8 GALLONS OF AVIATION FUEL ON THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE PILOT COMPUTED THE FUEL REQUIREMENT FOR THE FLIGHT BY USING THE FUEL CONSUMPTION CHART IN THE PILOT OPERATOR'S HANDBOOK. AFTER A FLIGHT OF 0.2 HOURS ON THE DAY BEFORE, THE PILOT ESTIMATED THAT HE HAD 3 HOURS 55 MINUTES OF FUEL REMAINING (WITHOUT RESERVE) FOR HIS CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. AT THE TIME THE ENGINE QUIT, THE HOBBS METER SHOWED THAT A TOTAL OF 3 HOURS 36 MINUTES HAD ELAPSED. THE AVERAGE FUEL CONSUMPTION FOR THE FUEL LOAD WAS 6.8 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE FUEL CAPACITY OF THE AIRCRAFT IS 26 GALLONS WITH 1.5 GALLONS UNUSABLE. WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS PLANNING, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HIS PLANNING ESTIMATE OF 6 GALLONS PER HOUR HAD NOT CONSIDERED THE ADDITIONAL FUEL REQUIREMENTS FOR HIS INITIAL TAKEOFF AND CLIMB, NOR THE SEVEN OTHER LANDINGS AND TAKEOFFS THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY MADE SINCE HIS LAST REFUELING. ACCORDING TO THE POH PERFORMANCE CHARTS, START, TAXI, AND TAK OFF REQUIRES 0.8 GALLONS OF FUEL. A/C RETRIEVAL PERSONNEL RECOVERED LESS THAN 2 GALLONS OF FUEL FROM BOTH OF THE MAIN TANKS AND THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS FOUND TO BE INTACT. SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATORS SUCCESSFULLY STARTED AND RAN THE ENGINE AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.