- Date
- September 10, 1997, 08:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Murrieta, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N65406Cessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970910028969A
- Case key
- 29901
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
failure of the flight instructor (CFI) to ensure an adequate preflight of the airplane, and his failure to properly quantify or verify the fuel onboard before departing on a dual instruction flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing.
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
While on a dual instruction flight, the aircraft ran out of fuel prior to arriving at the destination airport. The flight instructor reported that the fuel tanks were low; however, both indicator gauges read ample fuel quantity for a 1-1/2 hour flight with 1/2 hour reserve. The aircraft had been airborne for about 1 hour 20 minutes when the engine lost power. Subsequently, the airplane was damaged during a forced landing on a road.
Factual narrative
On September 10, 1997, about 0820 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N65406, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Murrieta, California. Neither the instructor pilot nor the student pilot were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area instructional flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at 0700 on the morning of the accident. According to local authorities the aircraft ran out of fuel and force landed on a dirt road.
The instructor reported that the fuel tanks were low, however, both indicator gauges read ample fuel quantity for a 1 1/2 hour flight with 1/2 hour reserve. The airplane had been airborne about 1 hour 20 minutes when the engine quit.
The instructor pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65406
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Carlsbad Air Service
- Registered owner
- David/Lisa Eddo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- F70 · Temecula, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 94 in this make and model · 298 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 56 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KRI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.