LAX96LA145

According to responding police officers, the pilot stated that the airplane ran out of fuel, while in flight at night. Subsequently, it collided with ground obstructions (trees) during a forced landing and was damaged. The officers observed only residual fuel in the tanks. In a written statement, the pilot said that during his preflight inspection, he looked inside the fuel tanks and noted that the fuel was about 1 to 2 inches below the filler neck. He assumed that the fuel gauges, which indicated over 3/4 full, were correct; and he estimated that about 2 hours 45 minutes of fuel was onboard. The pilot did not use a calibrated dipstick or other definitive means to quantify the amount of fuel in the tanks. He said that when the engine began to run rough, he looked at the fuel gauges, and they read zero.

On March 24, 1996, about 2100 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 152, N24963, collided with ground obstructions during a night forced landing on a road near Carlsbad, California. The forced landing was precipitated by a loss of power. The aircraft was operated by California Wings of San Diego, and rented by the pilot for a local area personal night flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight originated at Montgomery Field, San Diego, California, on the evening of the accident at 1900.

According to a telephone report from the responding police department, the pilot stated to responding police officers that he ran out of fuel. The officers observed only residual fuel in the tanks.

The pilot has not responded to repeated written requests to complete a Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report. The FAA San Diego Flight Standards District Office provided a written statement from the pilot, which was transmitted to them from the operator. The statement is attached. In the statement to the operator, the pilot said that during his preflight inspection he looked inside the fuel tanks and noted that the fuel was about 1 to 2 inches below the filler neck. He assumed that fuel gauges, which indicated over 3/4, were correct and he estimated that about 2 hours 45 minutes of fuel was onboard. The pilot did not use a calibrated dipstick or other definitive means to quantify the amount of fuel in the tanks. The pilot said that when the engine began to run rough, he looked at the fuel gauges which read zero.