- Date
- June 16, 1991, 17:13 local (Jun 17, 1991, 00:13 UTC)
- Place
- Oceanside, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N747CMCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910616022089A
- Case key
- 27249
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's improper preflight planning.
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
After departure from san carlos in the san francisco bay area, the pilot flew non-stop to the airport on santa catalina island, which is 22 miles off shore to the south of the los angeles basin. The air mile distance between san carlos and santa catalina was measured at about 340 nautical miles. The pilot thought he could obtain fuel at santa catalina, however, the airport facility directory notes that fuel is unavailable at the airport. The pilot departed santa catalina and elected to continue the flight to Oceanside, California, the flight's ultimate destination. The straight line distance from santa catalina island to Oceanside was measured at 58 nautical miles, entirely over water. The distance from the island to the nearest airport in the los angeles basin was measured at 26 nautical miles.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N747CM
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15281239
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Simulation
- Registered owner
- Flight Simulation
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- SXC · Catalina Island, CA
- Destination
- CRQ · Palomar, CA
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 68 total · 61 in this make and model · 45 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- CRQ, 9 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.