- Date
- September 13, 1994, 21:06 local (Sep 14, 1994, 01:06 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6517MCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940913026919A
- Case key
- 37603
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to calculate fuel consumption correctly resulting in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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 pilot reported to the Gainesville, Florida FAA flight service that he was en route from lake city, Florida to Gainesville and that he was low on fuel. While on approach to Gainesville the engine quit and the aircraft made a forced landing in trees. Post crash examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector indicated there was no usable fuel in the aircraft and that there was no reported fuel leakage from the aircraft before or after the accident. The aircraft had flown over 6 hours since the last refueling. The operator stated the aircraft has a 37 gallon usable capacity and consumes 6 gallons per hour.
Factual narrative
On September 13, 1994, about 2106 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N6517M, registered to Comair Aviation Academy, collided with trees and then the ground while making a forced landing following loss of engine power at Gainesville, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the private-rated pilot received serious injuries. The flight last originated at Lake City, Florida, on September 13, 1994, about 2034.
The pilot stated he last refueled at Tifton, Georgia. He then flew to Macon, Georgia and stopped. He did not refuel at Macon. He departed Macon en route to Lake City, Florida. According to the FAA Flight Service Station at Macon he activated his flight plan at 1530. He canceled his flight plan in the area of Lake City at 1950, according to the FAA Flight Service Station at Gainesville, Florida. The pilot stated he could not get fuel at Lake City and departed for Gainesville, Florida, at 2034. At 2041, the pilot reported to Gainesville Flight Service that he was en route from Lake City to Gainesville and that he was low on fuel. At 2105, the pilot reported to Gainesville Flight Service that the engine had quit. The pilot stated he made a forced landing in trees.
Postcrash examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector indicated the aircraft did not contain any usable fuel and that there was no reported fuel leakage from the aircraft after the accident. The aircraft operator stated the aircraft consumes 6 gallons per hour and the accident aircraft has about 37 usable gallons. The aircraft had been flown over 6 hours since the last refueling until the engine failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6517M
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15284762
- Airframe hours
- 5,897
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Comair Aviation Academy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 12, 1994 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 31J · Lake City, FL
- Airport
- GNV · Gainesville Regional, runway 10, 7,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 80 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 3 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.