Cessna 152 accident near Evansville, Indiana, August 9, 1999
On August 9, 1999 at about 11:37 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4611P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Evansville, Indiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion due to the flight instructor's improper in-flight decision. A factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1999 · about 11:37 pm local time
- Place
- Evansville, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4611P · no longer on the register · serial 15284780
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that after 0.8 hours of practicing flight maneuvers in the practice area, the flight returned to Evansville Regional Airport and did four touch and goes. The flight then departed to do a fly over of the student pilot's house. The flight instructor reported that at 10 miles from the airport the airplane lost all engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The flight instructor executed a forced landing to a field. The airplane was damaged during landing roll when it went through a ditch and crossed a road.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 654 hours in all; 134 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 105 in the last 30 days; 550 as pilot in command; 137 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,268 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 1999; 45 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: EVV at 11:28 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:38 pm from EVV, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.