Cessna 152 accident near Hamilton, Ohio, April 7, 2004
On April 7, 2004 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N4713B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamilton, Ohio (Butler County Regional Airport). 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
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power. The student pilot becoming lost/disoriented is a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2004 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hamilton, Ohio · Butler County Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N4713B · registry record · serial 15283593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on the return leg of her first solo cross-country trip, the student pilot became lost. After about 2.5 hours aloft, the airplane's fuel supply was exhausted, and the student pilot made a forced landing to a field. After touchdown, the airplane rolled about 200 feet before the nose wheel struck a mound of dirt, and the airplane nosed over. A post-accident inspection of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies. The forced landing site was about 155 miles northeast of the student pilot's intended destination.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,246.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 2004; 15.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O235 L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNB Huntingburg IN at 8:40 pm
- Destination: JVY Jeffersonville IN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from HAO, 4 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 N4713B 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.