Cessna 152 N5313M accident near Manatí, Puerto Rico

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s inadequate preflight inspection of the fuel level, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

During a visual-flight-rules instructional flight, the student pilot and flight instructor completed a variety of training maneuvers and takeoff and landing practice. They recalled that they departed with a total of about 16 gallons of fuel onboard, based on the preflight inspection of the fuel quantity by the student pilot with a dip stick. While returning to their home airport, about 15 minutes from landing, the engine gradually lost all power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to restore engine power without success. She subsequently completed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted an area of vegetation and trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage.

Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site found no evidence of fuel.

The airplane operator’s log for the accident airplane revealed that the airplane had been operated for a total of 5.2 hours since it was last refueled with an undetermined amount of fuel. According to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, the airplane’s fuel capacity was 24.5 gallons and the estimated consumption rate was about 5.5 gallons per hour. Based on this information, and the lack of fuel found by the FAA inspector onboard the airplane at the accident site, it is likely that the flight instructor and student departed for the flight without sufficient available fuel, and that the engine lost total power due to an exhaustion of the fuel supply. Had the flight instructor personally verified the total fuel quantity onboard, it is possible that the accident could have been avoided.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA335 for the full record.