On April 7, 1995, a Cessna 152 (registration N714WW) operated by Stringer Aviation, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Laurel, MS. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent 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 experienced an unexpected loss of engine power during flight, resulting in a forced landing in a field where the aircraft nosed over. The pilot attributed the incident to fuel exhaustion and noted that refueling beforehand would have prevented the accident.
What happened
The pilot reported that the aircraft's engine lost power during flight operations. In response to the mechanical failure, the pilot executed a forced landing in an adjacent field. During the landing roll out, the airplane nosed over.
The pilot stated that there were no prior mechanical malfunctions with the engine. The incident occurred after the aircraft had flown 3.6 hours since its last refueling. The pilot indicated that fuel exhaustion was the cause of the power loss and noted that the accident could have been prevented by refueling the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the operational history of the flight. Records indicated that the aircraft had accumulated 3.6 hours of flight time since the previous fueling event.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure adequate fuel supply, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing.