Cessna 120 N3101N

Summary

On 24 September 2011 at about 23:49 local time, a Cessna 120 registered N3101N was involved in an accident near Cordele, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 September 2011 at 23:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Cordele, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Crisp County-Cordele Airport (CKF)

Coordinates

31.9844, -83.7639

Aircraft

Cessna 120

Registration

N3101N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cordele → Cordele

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA11LA503

1 person died.

The pilot's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was maneuvering and practicing takeoffs and landings in the vicinity of his home airport when the airplane impacted trees and terrain about 1/2-mile from the departure end of one of the runways. An examination of the wreckage revealed signatures consistent with the engine not developing power at impact, and no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures was found. Additionally, no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage was observed at the accident scene or within any of the disassembled airframe or engine components. The pilot had most recently fueled the airplane 2 days before the accident flight, and, according to his personal flight logs, he had flown the airplane for 2.3 hours before departing on the accident flight. With a full fuel load, the airplane had an estimated fuel endurance in cruise flight of between 3.6 and 7.8 hours, depending on engine power setting. The exact duration of the accident flight could not be determined; however, based on witness statements, it was likely longer than 0.5 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.