- Date
- December 30, 1993, 19:30 local (Dec 31, 1993, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lantana, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8532GCessna 150F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931230047489A
- Case key
- 37473
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
The pilot-in-command's failure to obtain emergency assistance after becoming temporarily lost, resulting in total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the dispatch of the student on the cross-country flight by the CFI with an estimated completion time of 22 minutes after the official sunset. Also contributing to the accident was the lack of total experience by the pilot.
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
On the return leg to the destination airport, the pilot became temporally lost and failed to obtain emergency assistance. After determining his position he proceeded to his destination, but when the flight was about 5 miles south of the airport, the engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. The CFI dispatched the student on the two leg cross-country flight with an estimated completion time about 22 minutes after the official sunset.
Factual narrative
On December 30, 1993, about 1930 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150F, N8532G, registered to Micro Aviation Inc., crashed about 5 miles south of the Palm Beach County Park Airport, Lantana, Florida, while on a 14 CFR 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student pilot reported minor injuries. The flight originated from Lantana, Florida, about 3 hours 36 minutes earlier.
During the return leg of the cross-country flight, the student pilot became temporarily lost and he did not obtain emergency assistance. After determining his location he proceeded to his destination but the engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a field during which the aircraft was substantially damaged.
Examination of the airplane at the accident site revealed that the left fuel tank contained only a residual quantity of fuel and the right fuel tank contained about 1 pint of fuel. The airplane had been operated for 3.6 hours indicated by the Hobbs meter since fueling.
The certified flight instructor dispatched the student on the two leg cross-country flight with an estimated completion time about 22 minutes after the official sunset.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8532G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15062632
- Airframe hours
- 6,884
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Micro Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Micro Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 18, 1993 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- APF · Naples, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- LNA · Palm Beach County Park
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 59 total · 53 in this make and model · 19 as pilot in command · 59 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PBI, 10 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.