# NTSB CHI02LA041: Cessna 152, N48285, Sedalia, MO, November 18, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 18, 2001, 15:10 local (21:10 UTC) - Place: Sedalia, MO - Coordinates: 38.700847, -93.230339 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7008&lon=-93.2303&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 13, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - Kansas City FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 53842 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02LA041 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53842/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02LA041 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the soft, rough/uneven terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - normal - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (contributing factor) - in-flight planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot stated that approximately four miles from the airport the engine "slowed and then stopped." The pilot reported that he established best glide speed and made a forced landing to an agricultural field. The pilot stated that the agricultural field was "freshly plowed and muddy." A post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed there was no usable fuel remaining in either of the wing fuel tanks. The fuel tanks were not ruptured. The accident airplane had been fueled with 24.7 gallons of fuel 30 minutes prior to the accident flight. The useable fuel for the Cessna 150 is 24.5 gallons. The fuel endurance for a Cessna 152 at maximum cruise power at 2,000 feet above mean sea level is 3.25 hours. The accident occurred 4 hours and 10 minutes after departure. ## Factual narrative On November 18, 2001, at 1510 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N48285, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Sedalia, Missouri. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and his passenger did not report any injuries. The cross-country flight departed Terre Haute International Airport - Huffman Field, Terre Haute, Indiana, at 1100, and was en route to Sedalia Memorial Airport (DMO), Sedalia, Missouri, at the time of the accident. According to the pilot's written statement, about 4 miles from runway 18 at DMO the engine "slowed and then stopped." The pilot reported he established best glide speed and made a forced landing to an agricultural field. The pilot stated the agricultural field was "freshly plowed and muddy." A post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed there was no usable fuel remaining in either of the wing fuel tanks. The fuel tanks were not ruptured. A fuel receipt, dated November 18, 2001, indicated the accident airplane had been fueled with 24.7 gallons of fuel 30 minutes prior to the accident flight. The useable fuel for the Cessna 150 is 24.5 gallons. According to the Cessna 152 Pilot Operating Handbook, the fuel endurance at maximum cruise power at 2,000 feet above mean sea level is 3.25 hours. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N48285](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N48285-2019-05-28), registration cancelled 2019-05-28, S/N 15283319, built 1979 (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: 15283319 - Airframe hours: 4557 - Engines: Lycoming O-235-L2C 110 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Timothy R. Reeder - Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 31, 2001, 41 hours before - Departed: HUF, Terre Haute, IN - Destination: DMO, Sedalia, MO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 23; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review September 30, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 51 total, 38 in this make and model, 24 as pilot in command, 29 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 9 knots - Visibility: 4 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,300 ft broken - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: DMO, 2 nm away 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.