On June 4, 1992, a Cessna 152 (registration N68735) operated by American Flight Academy, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Henrietta, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel for the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A pilot with only one hour of fuel became disoriented, flew past his destination, and ran out of fuel, resulting in a forced landing into a field where the aircraft struck a fence.
What happened
The pilot departed for his intended destination carrying only one hour of fuel on board the airplane. The estimated time required to reach the destination was fifty minutes. During the flight, the pilot became disoriented and continued flying beyond his planned destination. As a result, the fuel supply was exhausted, leading to a loss of power in the engine. The pilot executed a forced landing into an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a fence.
The investigation
The pilot stated that he did not have enough fuel for the flight. No further mechanical examination details were provided in the source text.
Findings
Contributing factors included the pilot's disorientation and insufficient fuel planning.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel for the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing.