Cessna 152 accident near Slaton, Texas, September 30, 1999
On September 30, 1999 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5399B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Slaton, Texas. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane resulting in fuel exhaustion. Factors were 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, 1999 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Slaton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5399B · registry record · serial 15283861
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's nose landing gear struck a dike and the airplane flipped to the inverted position during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The solo student pilot/owner did not refuel the airplane before departing on the second leg of the round trip cross country flight. No physical evidence of fuel or compromise of the integrity of the fuel system was observed at the accident site. Total fuel capacity for the airplane is 39 gallons (37.5 usable fuel) and about 2 gallons of fuel was drained from the tanks. The student pilot based his calculated fuel consumption on cruise performance at 4.7 gallons per hour for a pressure altitude of 8,000 feet; however, the Cessna 152 performance chart indicates a fuel burn of 4.9 gallons per hour. Further, the pilot did not calculate the climb performance to cruise altitude. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated, 'I could have topped off the tanks before the return trip.'
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: 52 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 20 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,499 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1999; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8F7 Decatur TX
- Destination: F82 Lubbock TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:09 pm from LBB, 18 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.
Other NTSB records under N5399B 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.