Cessna 150 accident near Griffin, Georgia, May 19, 2001
On May 19, 2001 at about 3:52 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N5854E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Griffin, Georgia (Brookbridge Aerodrome airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning for the flight that resulted in the fuel exhaustion and the subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2001 · about 3:52 pm local time
- Place
- Griffin, Georgia · Brookbridge Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N5854E · no longer on the register · serial 1735A
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff the engine lost power. During emergency landing , the airplane collided with two fences before coming to a stop. No fuel was found in the left tank. There was 3/4 inch of fuel in the right fuel tank. According to the pilots operating handbook the unusable fuel quantity is 3.5 gallons. No mechanical malfunction of the engine was found.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 28, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,535 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 2001; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 0200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8GA9 Griffin GA at 3:50 pm
- Destination: 8GA9 Griffin GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FFC, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.