Accident Details
On January 10, 2009, at 1620 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 152L, registration N21999, executed a precautionary landing into a freshly plowed farmer's field near Pescadero, California. The private pilot had rented the airplane from Sterling Flight LLC, Concord, California, and was operating it under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Sequence of Events
The flight originated from Monterey, California, at 1530. According to the pilot's statement in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the left fuel tank was 5/8 full and the right fuel tank was 1/4 full at departure. After flying 60 miles, the pilot noted that the left fuel gauge read 0 and the right fuel gauge read 1/8. The remaining 20 miles of the flight was to be over water and rugged coastline. Due to the airplane's low fuel state, the pilot decided to make a precautionary landing into a freshly plowed farmer's field. At the end of the landing roll, the airplane nosed over.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot received minor injuries, while the passenger was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage.