Cessna 152 N6135M

Summary

On 18 January 2016 at about 00:45 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N6135M, operated by Florida Flyers Flight Academy, was involved in an accident near Madison, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 January 2016 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Madison, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

33.4250, -83.4639

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N6135M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Florida Flyers Flight Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Augustine → Lawrenceville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

ERA16LA091

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper 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 commercial pilot reported that he visually checked the fuel tanks before conducting the personal flight and verified that they were full with a total of 26 gallons (24.5 usable) before the personal flight departed; fuel receipts corroborated that the airplane was refueled before the flight. The pilot stated that, shortly after he descended the airplane from 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl) and then leveled off at 3,500 ft msl, about 3.5 hours into the flight, the engine began running roughly and then lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing to a road, and the airplane collided with a pole. The Pilot's Operating Handbook stated that the airplane had about 3.1 hours of fuel endurance at cruise power. Responders to the accident site reported that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks. Further, after the accident, the pilot stated that the engine likely "ran out of gas." Therefore, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's improper fuel planning.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.