# NTSB LAX08CA264: Cessna 152, N46974, Oceanside, CA, August 10, 2008 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: August 9, 2008, 20:30 local (Aug 10, 2008, 03:30 UTC) - Place: Oceanside, CA - Coordinates: 33.218055, -117.351387 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2181&lon=-117.3514&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-descent: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report September 26, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 68665 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX08CA264 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/68665/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08CA264 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion that was caused by the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations and failure to refuel the airplane en route. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 33 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 13 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Action: lack of action](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041030): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041030/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 792 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041030/cases.md) - [Airport facilities/design](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03017000): Environmental issues › Operating environment · Not specified; cases with it: [Cessna 152, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03017000/cases.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 52 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03017000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-descent: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 14 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Enroute-descent: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 30 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 152, 84 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2071835), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot and pilot-rated passenger rented the airplane for a personal cross-country flight to build flight time. The trip consisted of a 261-nautical mile (nm) leg, a refueling stop, and a 271-nm leg. After completing the first leg, the airplane was refueled with 25 gallons of aviation fuel. During the second leg, as the airplane reached a position about 10 nm from the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot restarted the engine, and it ran for a few minutes before losing power again. The pilot was unfamiliar with the area and did not see the destination airport until the airplane was directly over the airport. He realized the airplane was too high and added full flaps and "started to side-slip the airplane to lose our excessive altitude." Initially, the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a landing on runway 06; however, he was still too high, so he executed a 180-degree turn and landed on runway 24. The airplane touched down near the departure end of the runway, overran the pavement, and encountered an embankment. The right wing sustained structural damage. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel examined the airplane and reported that the fuel tanks were intact, the left wing fuel tank was dry, and the right wing fuel tank contained about 0.5 gallons of fuel. The fuel capacity of the airplane was 26 gallons, with 24.5 gallons of usable fuel. ## Factual narrative The pilot and pilot-rated passenger rented the airplane for a personal cross-country flight to build flight time. The trip consisted of a 261-nautical mile (nm) leg, a refueling stop, and a 271-nm leg. After completing the first leg, the airplane was refueled with 25 gallons of aviation fuel. During the second leg, as the airplane reached a position about 10 nm from the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot restarted the engine, and it ran for a few minutes before losing power again. The pilot was unfamiliar with the area and did not see the destination airport until the airplane was directly over the airport. He realized the airplane was "too high" and added full flaps and "started to side-slip the airplane to lose our excessive altitude." Initially, the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a landing on runway 06; however, he was still too high, so he executed a 180-degree turn and landed on runway 24. The airplane touched down near the end of the runway, overran the runway, and encountered an embankment. The right wing sustained structural damage. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel examined the airplane and reported that the fuel tanks were intact, the left wing fuel tank was dry, and the right wing fuel tank contained about 0.5 gallons of fuel. The fuel capacity of the airplane was 26 gallons, with 24.5 gallons of usable fuel. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N46974](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N46974-2008-10-21), registration cancelled 2008-10-21, S/N 15283154, built 1979 (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: 15283154 - Engines: Lycoming O-235 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: G & B Flight Academy - Registered owner: Glenna Leak - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 67L, Mesquite, NV - Destination: OKB, Oceanside, CA - Airport: OKB, Oceanside Municipal, runway 06, 2,712 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 24; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; flight hours: 227 total, 8 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days - Other flight crew; age 29; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1; flight hours: 83 total, 17 in this make and model, 25 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 290° at 3 knots - Visibility: 8 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 29.93 inHg - Observed at: OKB ## 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 20080809848539A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080809848539A), Aug 9, 2008: Cessna 152, Oceanside, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) N46974 was en route from mesquite, Nevada (67L) to Oceanside, CA (kokb), about 4 to 5 miles south of kokb, the engine quit. The pilot was able to glide… ## Other investigations on N46974 (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 DEN89LA050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN89LA050), Dec 29, 1988: Cessna 152 II (N46974), Gilcrest, CO, substantial damage 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.