Cessna 152 accident near Oceanside, California, August 10, 2008
On August 10, 2008 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N46974, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Oceanside, California (Oceanside Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion that was caused by the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations and failure to refuel the airplane en route.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2008 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Oceanside, California · Oceanside Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N46974 · no longer on the register · serial 15283154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger rented the airplane for a personal cross-country flight to build flight time. The trip consisted of a 261-nautical mile (nm) leg, a refueling stop, and a 271-nm leg. After completing the first leg, the airplane was refueled with 25 gallons of aviation fuel. During the second leg, as the airplane reached a position about 10 nm from the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot restarted the engine, and it ran for a few minutes before losing power again. The pilot was unfamiliar with the area and did not see the destination airport until the airplane was directly over the airport. He realized the airplane was too high and added full flaps and "started to side-slip the airplane to lose our excessive altitude." Initially, the pilot maneuvered the airplane for a landing on runway 06; however, he was still too high, so he executed a 180-degree turn and landed on runway 24. The airplane touched down near the departure end of the runway, overran the pavement, and encountered an embankment. The right wing sustained structural damage. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel examined the airplane and reported that the fuel tanks were intact, the left wing fuel tank was dry, and the right wing fuel tank contained about 0.5 gallons of fuel. The fuel capacity of the airplane was 26 gallons, with 24.5 gallons of usable fuel.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 227 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
Other crew
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 83 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67L Mesquite NV
- Destination: OKB Oceanside CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 2,712 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 3:21 am from OKB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N46974 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.