MURRIETA, CA, USA
N65406
Cessna 152
While on a dual instruction flight, the aircraft ran out of fuel prior to arriving at the destination airport. The flight instructor reported that the fuel tanks were low; however, both indicator gauges read ample fuel quantity for a 1-1/2 hour flight with 1/2 hour reserve. The aircraft had been airborne for about 1 hour 20 minutes when the engine lost power. Subsequently, the airplane was damaged during a forced landing on a road.
On September 10, 1997, about 0820 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N65406, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Murrieta, California. Neither the instructor pilot nor the student pilot were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area instructional flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at 0700 on the morning of the accident. According to local authorities the aircraft ran out of fuel and force landed on a dirt road. The instructor reported that the fuel tanks were low, however, both indicator gauges read ample fuel quantity for a 1 1/2 hour flight with 1/2 hour reserve. The airplane had been airborne about 1 hour 20 minutes when the engine quit. The instructor pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
failure of the flight instructor (CFI) to ensure an adequate preflight of the airplane, and his failure to properly quantify or verify the fuel onboard before departing on a dual instruction flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
