Porterfield LP65 accident near Corsicana, Texas, September 30, 2000
On September 30, 2000 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Porterfield LP65, registered N25563, was substantially damaged in an accident near Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2000 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Corsicana, Texas · Corsicana Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Porterfield LP65 · all LP65s on the register
- Registration
- N25563 · registry record · serial 671
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot planned a cross-country flight originating from Fort Worth, Texas, and terminating at Corsicana, Texas, with an intermediate fuel stop at Lake Palestine, Texas. Upon arrival at the airport in Lake Palestine the pilot found that there were no fuel services available. The pilot calculated that it would take 58 minutes to continue the flight to the final destination; and with the cockpit fuel gauge indicating between 5 and 6 gallons of fuel remaining, he departed for Corsicana. The pilot reported that he was four miles from the Corsicana Airport when he realized the fuel gauge was 'very close to empty,' and subsequently, the 'engine just quit.' A forced landing was executed to a field where the airplane's left wing struck tree stumps. Four witnesses who were monitoring the common traffic advisory frequency at the Corsicana Airport reported that the pilot stated that he was 'running out of fuel' and attempting to land.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 560 hours in all; 154 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 530 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,270 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2000; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F04 Fort Worth TX at 5:40 pm
- Destination: CRS Corsicana TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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.