Cessna 152 accident near Miami, Florida, August 18, 2010
On August 18, 2010 at about 6:21 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N24870, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Miami, Florida. 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 pilots' inadequate fuel planning, resulting in the 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
- August 18, 2010 · about 6:21 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 NO SERIES · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N24870 · no longer on the register · serial 15280426
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the two private pilots reported that they landed at numerous airports before returning back to the original airport. About 15 miles south of the destination, the engine began to run rough and experienced a loss of power. After the airplane landed in a pond, one of the pilots reported to a witness that the airplane had run out of fuel. A postaccident examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that no fuel was in the right tank and only 4 pints of fuel was in the left tank.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Ditching during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 100 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 7, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,498 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 2010; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dean International, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: IMM Immokalee FL at 10:00 am
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from TMB, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.