- Date
- June 21, 2016, 21:30 local (Jun 22, 2016, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Clearlake Oaks, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N67889Cessna 152
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160621014679A
- Case key
- 93453
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 deviation from his original flight plan, which resulted in becoming lost in mountainous terrain at night, fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and a collision with power lines during a forced landing.
Findings · 6
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 flight school reported that the private pilot submitted a night visual flight rules flight plan for authorization by the school, and then intentionally flew a route for which he had not received proper mountain flying endorsements from the flight school. During the night cross country flight, the pilot reported that he did not refuel at any of his stopover airports and became lost over mountainous terrain. The pilot further reported he attempted unsuccessfully to contact air traffic control, but after 4.3 hours of flight the fuel was exhausted and the engine lost power. After the loss of power, he reported that he glided towards a winery and impacted power lines, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight school reported that the private pilot submitted a night visual flight rules flight plan for authorization by the school, and then intentionally flew a route for which he had not received proper mountain flying endorsements from the flight school. During the night cross country flight, the pilot reported that he did not refuel at any of his stopover airports and became lost over mountainous terrain. The pilot further reported he attempted unsuccessfully to contact air traffic control, but after 4.3 hours of flight the fuel was exhausted and the engine lost power. After the loss of power, he reported that he glided towards a winery and impacted power lines, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67889
- Reported as
- Cessna 152 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15282078
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 16,854.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 2016
- Departed
- CXP · Carson City, NV
- Destination
- RHV · San Jose, CA
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 34
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 114 total · 114 in this make and model · 20 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KUKI, 26 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 26, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 921 KB 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.