Cessna 152 accident near Fort Worth, Texas, July 2, 1997
On July 2, 1997 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N69073, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion, due to the pilot's failure to refuel before taking off on the remainder of the flight after making a precautionary landing. Factors related to the accident were: the pilot becoming lost and disoriented, and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1997 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N69073 · no longer on the register · serial 15282478
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot's initial solo cross-country flight was intended to follow a 122 nautical mile VFR round trip course which was planned to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. During the return leg, the pilot became lost and landed at a different airport, located about 20 miles from her intended destination. She took off again to try to get back to her destination, and while en route, the engine lost power. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane skidded along a roadway and struck a utility pole. The aircraft had been operating for about 3 hours and 15 minutes before the loss of power. According to refueling records, the pilot originally departed with about 19 to 20 gallons of fuel on board. The engine's fuel burn for normal cruise was about 6 gallons per hour. No usable fuel was found in the tanks at the accident site.
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: 41 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,432 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 19, 1997; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFW Alliance TX at 6:30 pm
- Destination: IF9 Bridgeport TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:04 pm from AFW, 5 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.
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.