# NTSB MIA00LA051: Cessna 152, N460TC, Woodville, FL, December 15, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 14, 1999, 20:45 local (Dec 15, 1999, 01:45 UTC) - Place: Woodville, FL - Location: 30.3151° N, 84.2688° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Woodville, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3151&lon=-84.2688&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report November 30, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 48522 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA00LA051 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/48522/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA051 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper preflight planning resulting in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the collision with trees during a forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - normal - preflight planning/preparation - improper, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with object, emergency descent/landing - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The cross country instructional flight departed Venice, Florida, with the intention of conducting a touch-and-go landing at Florida Southwest International Airport, Fort Myers, and proceeding to Tallahassee to refuel and return. The flight proceeded as planned to within 10 miles southeast of Tallahassee and sustained an engine stoppage. The forced landing resulted in collision with trees. Subsequent FAA examination of the crash site revealed 1.5 quarts of fuel aboard and no evidence of fuel spill. Examination of the engine and airframe components by an FAA inspector revealed no irregularities. ## Factual narrative On December 14, 1999, about 2045 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N460TC, registered to Florida Flight Training Center, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, crashed while approaching Tallahassee Regional Airport, Tallahassee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and a passenger received minor injuries. The flight departed Venice, Florida, about 3 hours 45 minutes before the accident. According to the pilot, a French national and student of Florida Flight Training Center, Venice, Florida, reportedly working on his commercial pilot rating, he departed Venice Municipal Airport at about 1700, proceeded to and conducted a touch-and-go landing at Southwest Florida International Airport, Fort Myers, at about 1730, and continued northwest near the Florida west coast shoreline to Tallahassee. The pilot stated that his recollection of events stopped after passing the Cedar Key airport beacon, or about 120 miles southeast of Tallahassee. He stated to his chief pilot, subsequent to the accident, that he did not employ fuel mixture leaning. The passenger, a German national and fellow student of the same flight school, stated that the flight maintained 2,650 feet msl, throughout the cruise portion of the flight and that the fuel gages indicated zero on the left tank and, "something under 1/4 " on the right when the engine stopped running. The chief pilot stated that their ground school recommends calculating 6.0 gallons/hour as a preflight planning cruise fuel consumption for cross-country flights, (flight testing of their Cessna 152 fleet yielded about 5.8 gallons/hour). Additionally, the ground school recommends that no fuel mixture leaning be employed below 3,000 feet msl. A preflight planning log of the trip was attached to the pilot's statement, in the same handwriting as the statement. Analysis of the fuel consumption figures revealed that the cruise fuel flow calculated by the pilot was 5.3 to 5.5 gallons/hour. In addition, errors in identifiers of checkpoints on the flight log were revealed. According to Tallahassee FAA Approach Control Radar facility audio tapes of communications between N460TC and the facility, the flight was 29 miles southeast of the airport at 2,600 feet msl, and they directed him to fly present heading for the airport. At about 10 miles southeast, the pilot declared an emergency and said he lost his engine and could not make the airport. Shortly, thereafter the radar controller saw the airplane's radar return turn south, descend to 300 feet, then disappear. Another airplane in the area reported a strong emergency locator transmission. According to an FAA inspector, upon arrival on the scene the next morning, there was no odor of fuel present, 1.5 quarts of fuel were drained from the right tank, no fuel was contained in the left tank, and the fuel filter screens were clean. All flight controls revealed continuity, and the oil filter revealed no metal particles. Both wing spars and the empennage had received tree impact damage. Attempts to interview the pilot had negative results due to his reported memory lapse. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N460TC](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N460TC-2006-01-17), registration cancelled 2006-01-17, S/N 15280144, built 1977 (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: 15280144 - Airframe hours: 8743 - Engines: Lycoming O-235-L2C 110 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Florida Flight Training Center - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, November 25, 1999, 25 hours before - Departed: VCN, VENICE, FL - Destination: TLH, TALLAHASSEE, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 211 total, 35 in this make and model, 147 as pilot in command, 78 in the last 90 days, 44 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 46 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: TLH, 7 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19991214036999A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991214036999A), Dec 14, 1999: Cessna 152, Woodville, FL, Substantial damage. On December 14, 1999, about 2045 eastern standard time, a Cessna 152, N460TC, registered to Florida flight training center, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91… 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.