Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot-in-command to perform fuel consumption calculations, and the decision not to refuel. Contributing to the accident was fuel exhaustion, and the pilot- in-command's decision to operate the airplane with the fuel gauges inoperative.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot-in-command (cfi) decided to continue the flight without making a planned refueling stop, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, and a subsequent emergency descent. During the forced landing the airplane collided with power lines, pitched nose down, and collided with the ground.
Source record
Factual narrative
On October 14, 1995, about 0150 eastern daylight time, N33LU, a Cessna 152 operated by Phoenix East Aviation, crashed near Eastman, Georgia, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed and both pilots reported minor injuries. The flight departed Macon, Georgia, about 30 minutes before the accident. The pilots stated they flew from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Macon, and had intended to refuel, but the operator was closed for the night. They then departed intending to get fuel in Alma, Georgia. The engine lost power, and during the forced landing the airplane struck wires and the ground. No fuel was found in the fuel tanks after the accident. -