Cessna 120 accident near Cordele, Georgia, September 24, 2011
On September 24, 2011 at about 11:49 pm local time, a Cessna 120, registered N3101N, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Cordele, Georgia (Crisp County-Cordele Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total 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
- September 24, 2011 · about 11:49 pm local time
- Place
- Cordele, Georgia · Crisp County-Cordele Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 120 · all 120s on the register
- Registration
- N3101N · registry record · serial 13359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was maneuvering and practicing takeoffs and landings in the vicinity of his home airport when the airplane impacted trees and terrain about 1/2-mile from the departure end of one of the runways. An examination of the wreckage revealed signatures consistent with the engine not developing power at impact, and no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures was found. Additionally, no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage was observed at the accident scene or within any of the disassembled airframe or engine components. The pilot had most recently fueled the airplane 2 days before the accident flight, and, according to his personal flight logs, he had flown the airplane for 2.3 hours before departing on the accident flight. With a full fuel load, the airplane had an estimated fuel endurance in cruise flight of between 3.6 and 7.8 hours, depending on engine power setting. The exact duration of the accident flight could not be determined; however, based on witness statements, it was likely longer than 0.5 hours.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 29, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,166 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 2011; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKF Cordele GA
- Destination: CKF Cordele GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from ABY, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.