Cessna 152 accident near Miami, Florida, September 5, 2015
On September 5, 2015 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 152, registered N6141Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Miami, Florida (Miami Executive airport). 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 pilot's improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, 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 5, 2015 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami Executive · 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, built 1981 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6141Q · no longer on the register · serial 15285164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, before taking off to practice instrument approaches in the local traffic pattern, he checked the airplane's fuel status by looking at the cockpit quantity indicators and looking into the fuel tanks. After conducting three touch-and-go instrument landing system landings, the pilot was attempting a GPS landing. While established on radar vectors for an instrument approach and at 1,500 ft mean sea level, he observed engine "roughness," followed by a loss of power. He attempted a forced landing on a road; however, he subsequently chose to land in a muddy area within the boundary of a national park instead. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel system was undamaged, and there was no evidence of fuel leakage at the scene. The fuel tanks were drained, and 0.45 gallon of fuel was recovered from the left tank, and no fuel was found in the right tank. The operator reported that, at the time of the accident, the airplane had been flown for about 4.6 hours since its last refueling. The airplane had a usable fuel capacity of 24.5 gallons, and its fuel consumption rate in cruise flight was about 6.1 gallons per hour; therefore, the usable fuel would have been consumed during the accident flight.
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 approach defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 95 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 18, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 138 hours in all; 81 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 28, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,676 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 1,711 hours total
- Operator: Dean International Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TMB Miami FL at 3:10 pm
- Destination: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09L, 5,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from TMB, 7 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.
Other NTSB records under N6141Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.