- Date
- March 1, 1991, 02:00 local (07:00 UTC)
- Place
- Jensen Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5282HCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910301003749A
- Case key
- 32827
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
Improper in-flight planning decision by the pilot resulting in the total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident were the unreliable fuel quantity indicators.
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
The fuel tanks were topped off & the acft was flown for .5 hour before the accident plt rented the acft. No further servicing was performed. The accident flt departed with less-than-full tanks & while returning to land following an aprx 3-HR flt, the eng quit due to fuel exhaustion. The plt started it momentarily but it quit again. During the landing roll following the forced landing, the acft collided with a palm tree. The fuel tanks were drained which revealed that they contained 1.5 gals. The owner's manual states that the unusable fuel quantity for both fuel tanks is 1.5 gals. Review of acft records revealed that the acft was operated for 3.8 hrs since last refueling.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5282H
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284080
- Airframe hours
- 6,750
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Treasure Coast Flight Academy
- Registered owner
- J.R. Leasing, Inc.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 25, 1991 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- SUA · Stuart, FL
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 131 total · 105 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command · 91 in the last 90 days · 61 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 50 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.