Incident
The pilot of a Cessna 152 planned a 265 nautical mile flight, expecting a duration of about 3.1 hours. The airplane departed with both fuel tanks full and flew at an altitude of 2,500 feet with a power setting of 2,300 rpm. During the flight, the pilot did not lean the mixture. As the airplane descended through 1,000 feet near the destination airport, the engine rpm began fluctuating, increasing and decreasing. Shortly after, the engine lost total power, and the pilot executed a forced landing to a field.
Post-Accident Examination
Following the accident, an FAA inspector examined the airplane. The inspector drained 1.5 gallons of fuel from the left fuel tank and 0.5 gallons from the right fuel tank. The total fuel capacity of the Cessna 152 is 26 gallons, of which 24.5 gallons are usable. According to the performance charts in the Pilot's Operating Handbook for the C-152, the airplane would have had an endurance of 3.7 hours with a 45-minute reserve at 45% power, assuming the mixture was leaned in cruise flight. The recording hour meter in the airplane indicated that the flight duration was 3.7 hours.
Comparison with Another Flight
A friend of the pilot flew another Cessna 152 on the same route, at the same altitude and power setting, and landed successfully at the destination. A fuel receipt showed that his airplane was fueled with 24.1 gallons of fuel. He reported that he leaned the mixture during cruise flight.