Cessna 152 accident near Blue Ash, Ohio, August 16, 1998
On August 16, 1998 at about 3:05 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N93784, was destroyed in an accident near Blue Ash, Ohio (Blue Ash Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inaccurate calculation of the fuel which resulted in exhaustion of fuel and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1998 · about 3:05 am local time
- Place
- Blue Ash, Ohio · Blue Ash Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N93784 · no longer on the register · serial 15285550
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew to the Air National Guard Base, and performed military duty as a medical officer. That evening he gave a 30-minute orientation ride to a service member, and then departed for his home airport. Approximately 2 miles from his destination the pilot transmitted a Mayday call and announced, 'I'm out of gas and...I cannot make the airport.' The pilot performed a forced landing to the westbound lanes of a highway and collided with a van head on. Examination of the wreckage revealed no odor of fuel at the scene and one gallon of fuel was drained from the tanks. The hobbs meter reflected 3.8 hours of flight time from the pilot's first take-off. The airplane's fuel capacity was 26 gallons, 24.5 gallons of which were usable. The pilot had 99 hours of flight experience, approximately 59 of which were in make and model.
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: 99 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 47 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,832 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 1998; 96 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: HUF Terre Haute IN at 1:25 am
- Destination: ISZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from LUK, 9 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.