Cessna 152 accident near Boynton Beach, Florida, June 13, 1998
On June 13, 1998 at about 3:06 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46129, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boynton Beach, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning that resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 1998 · about 3:06 am local time
- Place
- Boynton Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46129 · no longer on the register · serial 15283002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had flown about three hours, and was enroute to the initial departure airport. During the return flight, he encountered weather conditions that forced him to land and wait for conditions to improve. Approximately 30 minutes into this phase of the flight, the engine lost power. The engine regained power after the pilot employed restart procedures. Moments later, the engine quit again. The pilot selected a public road for an emergency landing area. The airplane collided with utility wires during the emergency descent. The pilot had flown approximately three hours and thirty-six minutes since the airplane was last refueled. The pilot initially reported that he departed with six hours of fuel, but later realized that the airplane only had a fuel capacity of 24 gallons usable. The average fuel consumption rate is approximately six gallons per hour. The pilot reported that he had flown the entire flight at an altitude of 2000 feet and 2300 rpm, with the mixture in the full rich position. During the examination of the airplane, no fuel was recovered from the undamaged fuel tank system.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 77 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,813 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LNA Lantana FL at 10:50 pm
- Destination: LNA FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from PBI, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.