PENSACOLA, FL, USA
N49508
Cessna 152
The pilot and passenger did not check the fuel quantity prior to departure. While approaching the destination the engine began to fluctuate between 2,500 and 500 rpm. The pilot reported to controllers that he did have any fuel. The engine quit and the pilot attempted to make a forced landing in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The pilot then observed cars and made a forced landing on the roof of the mall. Post crash examination of the aircraft and crash site by FAA and Fire Department personnel showed the aircraft contained no usable fuel and there was no precrash or post crash fuel leakage from the aircraft. The carburetor was replaced and the engine was started and operated to full power with no evidence of failure or malfunction. Teardown examination of the accident carburetor showed no evidence of failure or malfunction. All fuel lines were unobstructed. The aircraft operator stated the aircraft had flown 4.5 flight hours since the last refueling and that the aircraft holds 24.5 gallons of usable fuel. They stated the aircraft consumes about 6 gallons of fuel per flight hour.
On October 2, 1999, about 2204 central daylight time, a Cessna 152, N49508, registered to Pensacola Navy Flying Club, Inc., crashed on the roof of a shopping mall while making a forced landing following loss of engine power at Pensacola, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and one passenger received minor injuries. The flight last departed Dauphin Island, Alabama, the same day, about 2115. The pilot stated he departed from Dauphin Island Airport and flew directly to Pensacola Regional Airport. After receiving clearance to land at Pensacola, the engine power began to fluctuate. The engine was unable to develop useful power and he was forced to land off airport. The passenger stated that she arrived at the Pensacola Airport at the time the pilot was attempting to start the engine for the flight to Dauphin Island. The pilot could not get it started and a flight instructor came out and started it. She did not see the preflight inspection at Pensacola. She performed the preflight inspection at Dauphin Island, but did not check the fuel quantity. About 6-7 miles out of Pensacola, the engine power began to fluctuate between 2,500 and 500 rpm. They tried to make it to the airport, but could not. They set up to land in the parking lot of a shopping mall, and when they saw parked cars, landed on the roof of the mall. A review of transcripts of communications between the pilot of N49508 and controllers at the FAA Pensacola Airport Control Tower (PNS Tower) showed that at 2157:06, the pilot of N49508 contacted the controller at PNS Tower and was cleared to land on runway 17. At 2158:16, the pilot of N49508 report to the controller at PNS Tower that he "has ah fuel problem." The controller asked what kind of fuel problem do you have and the pilot replied "ah my gauges are empty." At 2159:02, the pilot transmitted "yeah five zero eight ain't got no fuel." At 2159:50, the controller asked the pilot if he had enough fuel to make it to the airport. The pilot responded "my engines sputtering out at the moment." The pilot of the other aircraft who was flying with N49508 transmitted for the pilot to rock his wings. At 2203:35, the other pilot asked the pilot of N49508 if he had any rpm left. The pilot responded "negative." (See attached transcript.) Representatives of the aircraft operator stated the aircraft had flown 4.5 flight hours from the last refueling until the accident. They stated the aircraft has a 24.5 gallon usable fuel capacity and experience shows the aircraft consumes about 6 gallons of fuel per flight hour. Postcrash examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector showed the aircraft's fuel system contained no usable fuel and that there was no evidence of fuel leakage from the aircraft before or after the accident. Fire department personnel reported to the FAA inspector that there was no fuel leakage from the aircraft onto the mall roof after the accident. (See FAA Inspector statement.) The carburetor was damaged during the forced landing. Teardown examination of the carburetor under NTSB supervision showed the float operated normally and the shutoff needle valve closed normally. Al passages within the carburetor were unobstructed and the fuel inlet screen and bowl were free of debris. Under NTSB supervision, another carburetor was placed on the engine and the engine was mounted on a test stand. A bend in one propeller blade was straightened and the engine was started and operated to full power with no evidence of failure or malfunction. (See NTSB Investigator statement.) All fuel supply lines, all fuel vent lines, and the fuel selector valve was checked for obstruction by personnel who recovered the wreckage of N49508. No obstructions were found. The fuel quantity sending units were removed from the wing tanks and sent to the NTSB. The sending units were found to operate smoothly from the full position to the empty position. The pilot was given a urine drug screen on admission to the hospital emergency room after the accident. The drug screen was negative.
The failure of the pilot to ensure the aircraft contained adequate fuel to complete the flight resulting in engine failure due to fuel exhaustion and damage to the aircraft during the subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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