20000420005179A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Fresno, CA · April 20, 2000

Date
April 20, 2000 · 20:00 local
Place
Fresno, CA
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N152SC
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX00LA165
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
28 total26 in this make and model24 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) Seunghee back, a solo student pilot, depated the hayward executive (hwd) airport 16:45 hours pacific daylight time (PDT) for the Mt. Diablo practice srea, some sixteen nautical miles northeast of hwd. At Mr. Diablo he was engaged in practice air work. After completing his practice air work he became lost by following the wrong freeway while attempting to return to the hwd airport. Mr. Back then continued to fly, lost, traveling cross country for which he had very little training, until his aircraft engine stopped running due to fuel starvation approximately 120 nautical miles southeast of the Mt. Diable practice area. He attempted an emergency landing in northwest Fresno city, just north of the intersection of barstow ave. and hightway 99, on the property of promac fabrication & equipment, inc., at approximately 20:00 hours PDT. The aircraft impacted with a flat bed truck trailer followed by impact with the surrounding asphalt. The pilot was not injured but the aircraft was substantially damaged. (.4) on April 20, 2000, about 2000 hours pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N152SC, operated by flying viking, inc., hayward, California, experience d a total loss of engine power while cruising over Fresno, California. The student pilot made a forced landing in a parking lot and collided with a trailer. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the solo instructional flight, which was performed under 14 CFR 91, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1645 from hayward, California. The pilot indicated to the national transportation safety board investigator that he departed from hayward during the daylight and only possessed a "san francisco VFR terminal area chart." The pilot was authorized to only fly within a 25-mile radius of hayward. Minutes after taking off, the pilot became disoriented and confused regarding his location and direction of flight. The pilot further indicated that he was evidently lost, and he flew about 117 miles east until his fuel was totally exhausted. During the flight he was unable to raise anyone on the aircraft's radio. The pilot's certified flight instructor reported to the safety board investigator that he had authorized his student to perform a local area flight around hayward. The student's total flying experience was about 28 hours, of which 4 hours were as pilot-in-command. The student was supposed to land after practicing for about 1 hour. Upon departure for the accident flight, the airplane had about 18 gallons of fuel in its tanks. The instructor said the student confused east for west and followed a roadway until arriving over the city of Fresno with empty fuel tanks.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) SEUNGHEE BACK, A SOLO STUDENT PILOT, DEPATED THE HAYWARD EXECUTIVE (HWD) AIRPORT 16:45 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME (PDT) FOR THE MT. DIABLO PRACTICE SREA, SOME SIXTEEN NAUTICAL MILES NORTHEAST OF HWD. AT MR. DIABLO HE WAS ENGAGED IN PRACTICE AIR WORK. AFTER COMPLETING HIS PRACTICE AIR WORK HE BECAME LOST BY FOLLOWING THE WRONG FREEWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO THE HWD AIRPORT. MR. BACK THEN CONTINUED TO FLY, LOST, TRAVELING CROSS COUNTRY FOR WHICH HE HAD VERY LITTLE TRAINING, UNTIL HIS AIRCRAFT ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING DUE TO FUEL STARVATION APPROXIMATELY 120 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE MT. DIABLE PRACTICE AREA. HE ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN NORTHWEST FRESNO CITY, JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF BARSTOW AVE. AND HIGHTWAY 99, ON THE PROPERTY OF PROMAC FABRICATION & EQUIPMENT, INC., AT APPROXIMATELY 20:00 HOURS PDT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED WITH A FLAT BED TRUCK TRAILER FOLLOWED BY IMPACT WITH THE SURROUNDING ASPHALT. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED BUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. (.4) ON APRIL 20, 2000, ABOUT 2000 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 152, N152SC, OPERATED BY FLYING VIKING, INC., HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA, EXPERIENCE D A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE CRUISING OVER FRESNO, CALIFORNIA. THE STUDENT PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A PARKING LOT AND COLLIDED WITH A TRAILER. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED, AND THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE SOLO INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, WHICH WAS PERFORMED UNDER 14 CFR 91, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 1645 FROM HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOT INDICATED TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR THAT HE DEPARTED FROM HAYWARD DURING THE DAYLIGHT AND ONLY POSSESSED A "SAN FRANCISCO VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART." THE PILOT WAS AUTHORIZED TO ONLY FLY WITHIN A 25-MILE RADIUS OF HAYWARD. MINUTES AFTER TAKING OFF, THE PILOT BECAME DISORIENTED AND CONFUSED REGARDING HIS LOCATION AND DIRECTION OF FLIGHT. THE PILOT FURTHER INDICATED THAT HE WAS EVIDENTLY LOST, AND HE FLEW ABOUT 117 MILES EAST UNTIL HIS FUEL WAS TOTALLY EXHAUSTED. DURING THE FLIGHT HE WAS UNABLE TO RAISE ANYONE ON THE AIRCRAFT'S RADIO. THE PILOT'S CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED TO THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR THAT HE HAD AUTHORIZED HIS STUDENT TO PERFORM A LOCAL AREA FLIGHT AROUND HAYWARD. THE STUDENT'S TOTAL FLYING EXPERIENCE WAS ABOUT 28 HOURS, OF WHICH 4 HOURS WERE AS PILOT-IN-COMMAND. THE STUDENT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAND AFTER PRACTICING FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR. UPON DEPARTURE FOR THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE HAD ABOUT 18 GALLONS OF FUEL IN ITS TANKS. THE INSTRUCTOR SAID THE STUDENT CONFUSED EAST FOR WEST AND FOLLOWED A ROADWAY UNTIL ARRIVING OVER THE CITY OF FRESNO WITH EMPTY FUEL TANKS.

NTSB investigation

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

Other reports on N152SC · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.