# NTSB ATL97LA039: Cessna 152, N93873, Gulfport, MS, February 7, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 7, 1997, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC) - Place: Gulfport, MS - Location: 30.3674° N, 89.0928° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Gulfport, MS, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3674&lon=-89.0928&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 15, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 3821 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL97LA039 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/3821/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA039 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power due to an inadequate supply of fuel. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - preflight planning/preparation - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - fuel supply - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with object, emergency landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot reported that the airplane had been flown 1.8 hours prior to his departure, and he did not refuel. He estimated that two and one half hours of fuel remained. Approximately two hours into the flight, while receiving radar vectors back into Gulfport, the engine lost power. The pilot selected a road and made an emergency landing. The airplane collided with a tree while the pilot attempted a forced landing on the paved road. During an aircraft examination, approximately one and one half gallons of aviation fuel were recovered from the fuel system. According to the aircraft operator's manual, approximately one and one half gallons of fuel in the fuel system were considered unusable. A subsequent engine examination failed to disclose a mechanical problem. ## Factual narrative On February 7, 1997, at 1600 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N93873, collided with a tree during an emergency landing to a highway six miles northwest of Gulfport, Mississippi. The visual personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The local flight departed Gulfport, Mississippi, at 1330, and made a stop at Dauphin Island. The pilot reported that the airplane had been flown 1.8 hours prior to his departure, and he did not refuel, but estimated that two and one half hours of fuel remained. Approximately two hours into the flight, and while receiving radar vectors back into Gulfport, the engine quit. The pilot selected a road and made an emergency landing. The airplane collided with a tree while the pilot attempted a forced landing on the paved road. During the aircraft examination, approximately one and one half gallons of aviation fuel were recovered from the fuel system. According to the aircraft operator's manual, approximately one and one half gallon of fuel in the fuel system are unusable. The subsequent engine examination failed to disclose a mechanical problem. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N93873](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N93873-2007-10-22), registration cancelled 2007-10-22, S/N 15285565, built 1982 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 152 - Registry model: [Cessna 152](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-152) (registry code 2071835) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-235 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (registry code 41505, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15285565 - Airframe hours: 8750 - Engines: Lycoming O-223-L2C 110 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Vortex Helicopters - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, December 21, 1996, 18 hours before - Departed: GPT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 23; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 945 total, 275 in this make and model, 24 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 135° at 5 knots - Visibility: 5 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 1,500 ft broken - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: GPT, 360 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19970207002389A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970207002389A), Feb 7, 1997: Cessna 152, Gulfport, MS, Substantial damage. Lost power approaching destination. Hit tree landing on a road. Only unusable fuel on board. (-23) on February 7, 1997, at 1656 cstm B93873M a cessba 152… ## Other investigations on N93873 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DEN06CA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN06CA134), Sep 26, 2006: Cessna 152 (N93873), Bennett, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the aborted takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident were the low airspeed and the pilot's improper in-flight planning. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.