Cessna 150 accident near Griffin, Georgia, December 4, 1993
On December 4, 1993 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N4092J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Griffin, Georgia (Griffin-Spalding County airport). It was an instructional 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
FUEL STARVATION CAUSED BY FOREIGN MATTER BLOCKAGE OF THE FUEL TANK VENT SYSTEM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1993 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Griffin, Georgia · Griffin-Spalding County · 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
- N4092J · no longer on the register · serial 150-65392
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE MANEUVERING THE AIRPLANE FOR A 45 DEGREE ENTRY INTO THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. AFTER AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE ENGINE, THE PILOT SELECTED AN OPEN FIELD FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING. ON LANDING ROLL, THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY SWERVED AND HIT A TREE WITH THE LEFT WING TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH A HOUSE AT THE END OF THE FIELD. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL TANK VENT SYSTEM WAS COMPLETELY BLOCKED BY AN INSECT NEST INSIDE THE VENT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,969 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 3,800 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,045 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 20, 1993; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,301 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from ATL, 25 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.