- Date
- April 7, 1995, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Orange, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N68190Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950407007439A
- Case key
- 19385
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 delayed landing flare. Factors were fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to stop and refuel.
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
A student pilot on a solo cross country flight became lost while trying to navigate around weather. He flew for 30-40 minutes, over flying an airport, until he contacted beaumont approach control. Approach control assisted the pilot and vectored him to a nearby airport. The engine lost power on base leg and the airplane landed hard on runway 04, after a downwind approach. During an examination of the airplane, the fuel system revealed no evidence of fuel leakage, and it contained a total of 32 ounces of fuel.
Factual narrative
On April 7, 1995, at 1600 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N68190, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Orange, Texas. The student pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the solo cross country flight.
On the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, the pilot reported the following information. The planned route of flight was from Beauregard Parish Airport (DRI), Tyler County Airport (09R), Pineland Airport (T24), and returning to Beauregard Parish Airport. Upon the return flight to Beauregard Parish Airport, the pilot became disoriented while trying to navigate around weather. He flew for "30-40 minutes" bypassing an airport. The pilot made radio contact with Beaumont Approach Control, and was vectored to Orange County Airport (ORG). The engine lost power during a left turn to base for runway 04 at Orange County Airport, and attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. During the attempted landing the airplane "hit main wheels then bounced and nosed to the ground."
A witness observed the airplane turn final for runway 04 just before the engine lost power. The witness reported that during the downwind landing, she observed the airplane make a pitch attitude oscillation descent, and land "hard" on it's "nose" 1,200 feet prior to the departure end of the runway. The airplane departed the right side of the runway, and came to rest 225 feet from the initial touchdown point. The witness further reported that the winds were from the south at 10-14 miles per hour.
Examination of the airplane and engine did not disclose any structural or mechanical anomalies. The fuel system revealed no evidence of fuel leakage and it had a total of 32 ounces of fuel.
Both wings were bent downward, the firewall and cabin were deformed, and the nose landing gear was separated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68190
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282174
- Airframe hours
- 2,989
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steve And Son Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 28, 1995 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- T24 · Pineland, TX
- Destination
- DRI · De Ridder, LA
- Airport
- ORG · Orange County, runway 4, 4,400 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 55 total · 55 in this make and model · 12 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BPT, 13 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.