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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2011 · about 11:49 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Cordele, Georgia · Crisp County-Cordele Airport · cases near this 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 other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management other cases naming the fuel system
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
14 documents, released by the NTSB on June 25, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lineman's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Fuel Receipt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot Log (Excerpt) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Aircraft Maintenance Records (Excerpts) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1 - Wreckage from Right (Photo Courtesy of Cessna) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2 - Wreckage from Front Right (Photo Courtesy of Cessna) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo 3 - Wreckage from Front Left (Photo Courtesy of Cessna) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | GPS 17 - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 10 | GPS 17 - Attachment I - Tabular Data (Csv) | data file | Download |
| 11 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Cessna 150 Owner's Manual (Excerpt, O-200-A Information) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 13 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 14 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3101N on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 120 660 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Motors O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Crisp County-Cordele · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,806 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11LA503.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.