- Date
- July 25, 1990, 16:18 local (21:18 UTC)
- Place
- Lytle, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5278HCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900725028509A
- Case key
- 23162
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 failure to adequately manage the onboard fuel supply.
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.
Analysis
During a solo cross country flight the aircraft lost complete engine power following 3.1 hours of flight. The pilot executed a forced landing to a short field with obstacles. The pilot elected to use only ten degrees of flaps for the landing. The flap setting resulted in a longer ground run in the short field and the airplane struck several objects before coming to rest on its nose against a tree. The aircraft was destroyed during the impact with the objects.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5278H
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284079
- Airframe hours
- 3,288
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- United States Air Force, doing business as Kelly-Lackland Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Kelly Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 12, 1990 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- SKF · Kelly Afb., TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 117 total · 100 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 37 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.