- Date
- September 8, 1991, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Croom, MD
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N48430Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910908038709A
- Case key
- 11703
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to assure an adequate fuel supply was on board to complete the flight which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Analysis
The student pilot was scheduled to take the private pilot test. However, the test was rescheduled after the examiner determined that he was about 2 hours short of solo time. The pilot decided to fly so he could familiarize himself with the area and acquire the required flight time. The pilot visually checked and used the fuel gage to determine the gages were half full. About 2 hours into the flight, the engine began to lose power. He tried to restart the engine but was unsuccessful so he made a forced landing in a field. He stated that he believed the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48430
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 4,516
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 108 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cfi Incorporated
- Registered owner
- Cfi Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 8, 1991 · 51 hours before
- Departed
- WOO · Freeway, MD
- Destination
- W28 · Friendly, MD
- Airport
- W28 · Potomac Airpark
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 61 total · 61 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DCA, 8 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.
Other investigations on N48430 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.