Cessna A188B N53319

Summary

On 20 November 1996 at about 16:10 local time, a Cessna A188B registered N53319, operated by Ronald L. Harper, was involved in an accident near Ocilla, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 November 1996 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocilla, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

31.5900, -83.2398

Aircraft

Cessna A188B

Registration

N53319

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ronald L. Harper

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA97LA027

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations and failure to ensure the aircraft contained an adequate amount of fuel to complete the flight, which resulted in loss of engine power because of fuel exhaustion. Uneven terrain in the emergency landing area was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he departed with about 30 gallons of fuel. After about 2 hours of flight, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a rough field, and the aircraft nosed over. Postcrash examination revealed that the aircraft did not contain any usable fuel, and there was no evidence of fuel leakage. The engine fuel injector manifold did not contain fuel, and there was no evidence of fuel system blockage or malfunction. Fuel was added to a wing tank, and the engine was started and operated to full power with no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. Continental Engine representatives indicated that the engine consumed up to 18 gallons of fuel per hour.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.