# NTSB FTW97LA218: Cessna 152, N6182U, Bridgeport, TX, June 12, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 12, 1997, 16:26 local (21:26 UTC) - Place: Bridgeport, TX - Coordinates: 33.200946, -97.750267 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2009&lon=-97.7503&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 2, 1998 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 20241 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW97LA218 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/20241/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA218 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - refueling - not performed, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - rock(s)/boulder(s) - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis The student pilot contacted the Fort Worth Flight Service Station (FSS) while en route from Tyler to Bridgeport and reported 'that he was lost.' The pilot's last radio contact with the FSS was 4 hours and 1 minute after his departure from Tyler. Bridgeport was his planned refueling stop. The 40-hour student pilot reported that the engine lost power, and he attempted to land in an open pasture. The student pilot further stated that the nose wheel impacted a rock during the landing roll and the airplane nosed over coming to rest in the inverted position. No evidence of rotational scoring was noted on either propeller blade. During examination of the two wing tanks, approximately 2 gallons of fuel were drained from the fuel cells. According to the pilot's operating handbook, the unusable fuel for the 1981 model Cessna 152 is 1.5 gallons. ## Factual narrative On June 12, 1997, at 1626 central daylight time, a Cessna 152 airplane, N6182U, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Bridgeport, Texas. The solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane, owned by a private individual, was being operated by the Tyler International School of Aviation, under Title 14 CFR Part 91 at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional cross country flight from Tyler to Bridgeport, Texas, for which a VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Tyler, Texas, at 1220. According to the operator, the student pilot, who was in the United States on a student visa, had been endorsed by his flight instructor for a round-robin cross country flight from Tyler to Ganesville, to Wichita Falls, to Bridgeport, and return to Tyler (Bridgeport was his planned refueling stop). The student pilot contacted the Fort Worth Flight Service Station (FSS) while en route from Wichita Falls to Bridgeport and reported "that he was lost." The pilot's last radio contact with the FSS was 4 hours and I minute after his departure from Tyler. The 40-hour student pilot reported that the engine lost power, and he attempted to land in an open pasture about 11 miles northwest of the Bridgeport Municipal Airport. The student pilot further stated that the nose wheel impacted a rock during the landing roll, and the airplane nosed over coming to rest in the "nearly inverted position atop a barbed wire fence." Examination of the wreckage by the FAA inspector and the operator revealed structural damage to the engine mount and the nose landing gear assembly. The top section of both wings sustained substantial damage. Additionally, no evidence of rotational scoring was noted on either propeller blade. During examination of the two wing tanks, approximately 2 gallons of fuel drained from the fuel cells. According to the pilot's operating handbook, the unusable fuel for the 1981 model Cessna 152 is 1.5 gallons. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6182U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6182U-2003-10-08), registration cancelled 2003-10-08, S/N 15284734 (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: 15284734 - Airframe hours: 3800 - Engines: Lycoming O-235L2C 108 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: John C. Harder, doing business as Tyler School Of Aviation - Registered owner: Bill D. Wood - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 1997, 32 hours before - Departed: TYR, TYLER, TX - Destination: 1F9, TX - Flight plan: VFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 40 total, 26 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19970612015179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970612015179A), Jun 12, 1997: Cessna 152, Bridgeport, TX, Substantial damage. Became lost on cross country. Exhausted fuel. Struck rocks landing. Nosed over onto barbed wire fence. (-23) on June 12, 1997, at approximately 1626 CDT, a… ## Other investigations on N6182U (1) 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. - [NTSB LAX03LA214](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03LA214), Jun 28, 2003: Cessna 152 (N6182U), Mt. Charleston, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and selection of the wrong route of flight, which led the airplane toward rising terrain in excess of the performance capability of the airplane. Also causal… 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.