Cessna 152 N4713B accident, Hamilton, OH, Apr 7, 2004 · NTSB IAD04CA014

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. The student pilot becoming lost/disoriented is a contributing factor.

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.

Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanicalCruise

Became lost/disorientedPilot in commandFactor

In-flight planning/decision - inadequatePilot in commandCause

Fluid,fuel - starvation/exhaustion

Forced landingEmergency descent/landing

Nose overEmergency landing

Terrain condition - dirt bank/rising embankmentFactor

Analysis

While on the return leg of her first solo cross-country trip, the student pilot became lost. After about 2.5 hours aloft, the airplane's fuel supply was exhausted, and the student pilot made a forced landing to a field. After touchdown, the airplane rolled about 200 feet before the nose wheel struck a mound of dirt, and the airplane nosed over. A post-accident inspection of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies. The forced landing site was about 155 miles northeast of the student pilot's intended destination.

Factual narrative

On April 7, 2004, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N4713B, was substantially damaged after a forced landing near Hamilton, Ohio. The certificated student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, intended between Huntingburg Airport (HNB), Huntingburg, Indiana, and Clark County Airport (JVY), Jefferson, Indiana. The solo instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the student pilot, she departed Clark County with full fuel for a solo cross-country flight to Huntingburg. She landed uneventfully at her destination, and departed for the return trip to Clark County about 1640. Thirty minutes into the flight, the student pilot realized that she was off course, but was not sure in which direction. She attempted to contact several airports for assistance and to ascertain her position using various navigational aids, but to no avail. After about 2.5 hours aloft, the engine began to sputter, and the student pilot realized that the airplane was out of fuel. She then made an emergency soft field landing in a field. After touchdown, the airplane rolled about 200 feet before the nose wheel struck a mound of dirt, and the airplane nosed over.

In a telephone interview, the student pilot stated that during the flight to Huntingburg, she had drifted off course to the south, and while at Clark County, she was advised by another pilot to alter her return heading an additional 30 degrees to the north to correct for the winds aloft.

The forced landing site was approximately 155 nautical miles northeast of the intended destination. The distance between the two cross-country airports was 58 nautical miles. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, the accident flight was the student pilot's first solo cross country flight.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, a post-accident inspection of the airplane did not find any evidence of fuel in the tanks or on the ground. He also stated that he did not note any engine damage, and that when the engine was tested, it operated normally.

The weather reported at Butler County Regional Airport (HAO) Hamilton, Ohio, 4 nautical miles to the south, at 1853, included calm winds, 10 statute miles visibility, a few clouds at 8,500 feet, temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure of 29.73 inches of mercury.

Aircraft

Registration: N4713B
Reported as: Cessna 152
Category: Airplane
Serial number: 15283593
Airframe hours: 7,246.7
Engine: Lycoming O235 L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Substantial damage
Flight: Instructional · Part 91
Registered owner: HAPS Aerial Enterprises Inc.
Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
Last inspection: Annual · March 26, 2004 · 15.6 hours before
Departed: HNB · Huntingburg, IN
Destination: JVY · Jeffersonville, IN
Airport: HAO · Butler County Regional Airport

N4713BRegistered now · Cessna 152S/N 15283593 · Built 1979 Airframe modelCessna 152 Engine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

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: Student pilot
Age: 17
Injuries: Minor
Certificate: Student
Medical: Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat: Left
Flight hours: 40 total · 18 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions: Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind: Calm
Visibility: 10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling: None
Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 41 °F
Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
Observed at: HAO, 4 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.

Accident 20040407006129ACessna 152 · Hamilton, OH(-23) The student pilot was on her first solo cross country flight. The flight was from clark county airport (jvy) in Indiana to huntingburg airport (hnb), also in Indiana. On the return leg from hnb to jvy she applied too much wind correction angle which…Apr 7, 2004 · N4713B · Substantial damage

Other investigations on N4713B · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

NTSB ATL89LA018Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportReidsville, NCThe student plt reported that the airplane nose '...was wanting to come up sooner than it should' during the takeoff roll on his first solo flt; he checked the elevator trim and found it properly set. He elected to abort the takeoff. He reduced the pwr and…Oct 26, 1988 · Substantial damage