- Date
- December 6, 2024, 13:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Meridian, MS
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5321QCessna 150L
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR final approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20241206019169A
- Case key
- 199410
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 pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate verification of his student’s preflight planning.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot and flight instructor were conducting an instructional cross-country flight when the airplane lost all engine power. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and fuselage during the forced landing into trees. Both wing fuel tanks remained intact, and no fuel was drained from either low point when sumped. The center fuselage drain point and firewall-mounted fuel strainers were actuated and produced about 1 tablespoon of fuel each. There were no observable indications of fuel leaking or fuel blight on nearby vegetation. The pilot reported that before the flight he fueled the airplane and estimated he had about 5 ½ hours of flight time. He stated that when planning for the cross-country flight he did not complete a detailed fuel burn calculation and that he did not use the pilot’s operating handbook to calculate fuel burn for the intended cruising altitude. The flight instructor stated that the pilot did not present a cross-country flight plan to him before the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5321Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073221
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 9,579
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 29, 2024 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- MEI · Meridian, MS
- Destination
- MEI · Meridian, MS
- Airport
- MEI · Key Field Airport
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 19, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 350 total · 300 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- KMEI, 2 nm away
- METAR
- KMEI 061958Z 04008KT 10SM CLR 09/M11 A3037 RMK AO2 SLP284 I1000 T00941106
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB in all.
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 N5321Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.