Cessna 152 N5308M

Summary

On 23 March 2001 at about 20:50 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N5308M was involved in an accident near Antlers, Oklahoma, 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

23 March 2001 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Antlers, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

34.2290, -95.6107

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N5308M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tulsa → Hugo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01TA084

Nobody was injured.

fuel exhaustion in cruise flight due to the pilot's delay in refueling. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While performing fire spotting duties, the pilot reported to the operator that he had "been flying for three hours [and that he] was headed to get some fuel." The operator instructed the pilot to complete another circuit before departing for fuel. Five minutes later, the pilot called the operator "to remind him that [he] had been flying for over three hours, and that [he] was headed to get some [fuel]." The operator acknowledged and told the pilot to report when he was "back in the air." Subsequently, the pilot set his global positioning system (GPS) to his refueling location and figured that it would take him approximately twenty-five minutes to get there. While in cruise flight, approximately eight minutes before reaching his destination, the pilot noticed a decrease in rpm and engine roughness. Shortly after, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a field surrounded by trees that he had previously flown over. Upon touch down, he applied the brakes, but the airplane would not stop due to the wet field. During the landing roll, he made a turn to avoid a ditch which was at the end of the field, and the airplane hit small trees and an object on the ground, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated the accident could have been prevented with the "use [of] better judgment" and by "exercising pilot in command responsibility regarding fuel consumption, wind direction, time and other condition."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.