Cessna 152 accident near Blanchard, Louisiana, September 18, 2000
On September 18, 2000 at about 5:05 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N6107Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blanchard, Louisiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's failure to refuel, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors were the dark night light conditions and lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2000 · about 5:05 am local time
- Place
- Blanchard, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N6107Q · registry record · serial 15285132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 39-hour student pilot was making a non-endorsed night solo cross-country flight. During the return flight, the pilot 'went further south than had planned', became 'lost' and was radar vectored to his destination. Approximately 10 miles north of the destination airport, at 2,000 feet agl, 3 hours and 35 minutes into the flight, the engine started 'sputtering and quit.' Due to darkness, the pilot could not find a suitable landing area, and subsequently, the airplane impacted trees approximately 10 miles northwest of the airport. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the left and right fuel tanks were empty, and the fuel selector valve was in the ON position.
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: student
- Flight time: 39 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,750 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 18, 2000; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Royal Air
The flight
- Departed from: AXS Altus OK at 1:30 am
- Destination: DTN Shreveport LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:29 am from SHV, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW00LA260.