Fort Worth, TX, USA
N49962
Cessna 152
The student pilot reported that prior to departing his home airport on a cross-country flight, the airplane's fuel tanks were full. During the cross-country flight, the pilot thought the engine started to make a "weird sound", and he elected to land at a nearby airport, where he did an engine run-up and magneto check. No problems were observed, and he continued his flight. During the flight back to his home airport, the engine lost power, and the pilot made a forced landing in a vacant field. The airplane's fuel strainer was removed on site, and no fuel was found. The Hobbs meter recorded the flight's duration as 3.2 hours. During the airplane's recovery, no fuel was observed in the wing's fuel tanks. The engine was examined on January 16, 2008. The sparkplugs were in new condition, and had light gray deposits. The magnetos produced spark at each terminal, and were timed to the engine. A thumb compression test was preformed, and continuity through the engine was confirmed. An external inspection of the engine also failed to find any mechanical problems.
On December 20, 2007, approximately 1420 central standard time, a single-engine Cessna 152 airplane, N49962, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power during cruise flight near Fort Worth, Texas. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to Magnum Assets, Inc., and operated by Pro Aircraft Flight Training, of Fort Worth, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from the Hicks Airfield (T67), Fort Worth, Texas, about 1115. The student pilot reported via the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) that prior to departing T67, the airplane's fuel tanks were full. The pilot also said that during the cross-country flight, he thought the engine started to make a "weird sound", so he elected to land at a nearby airport. He then preformed an engine run-up and magneto check. No problems were observed so the pilot elected to continue his flight. During the flight back to T67, the pilot reported that the engine just "stopped" and he elected to perform a forced landing in a vacant field. During the landing the airplane impacted an embankment and flipped over, coming to rest in the inverted position. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, the aircraft sustained structural damage during the forced landing. The inspector removed the airplane's fuel strainer, and no fuel was found. He also reported that the flight's duration was 3.2 hours, according to the airplane's Hobbs meter. The aircraft was recovered to a secure location for further examination. During the aircraft's recovery, the salvage team reported that there was no evidence of fuel in the wing's fuel tanks. The NTSB Investigator in Charge (IIC) examined the engine on January 16, 2008. The sparkplugs were in new condition and had light gray deposits. The magnetos produced "spark" at each terminal, and were timed to the engine. A thumb compression test was preformed, and continuity through the engine was confirmed. An external inspection of the engine also failed to find a reason for the loss of engine power. At 1453, the automated weather observing system at Alliance Airport, Fort Worth, Texas, reported wind from 330 degrees at 10 knots, 10 miles visibility, a clear sky, temperature 64-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 31-degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.85 inches of Mercury.
The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane prior to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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