Cessna 152 accident near Eastman, Georgia, October 14, 1995
On October 14, 1995 at about 5:50 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N33LU, was destroyed in an accident near Eastman, Georgia. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TO PERFORM FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS, AND THE DECISION NOT TO REFUEL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS FUEL EXHAUSTION, AND THE PILOT- IN-COMMAND'S DECISION TO OPERATE THE AIRPLANE WITH THE FUEL GAUGES INOPERATIVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1995 · about 5:50 am local time
- Place
- Eastman, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N33LU · no longer on the register · serial 15279585
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (CFI) DECIDED TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT WITHOUT MAKING A PLANNED REFUELING STOP, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION, AND A SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCY DESCENT. DURING THE FORCED LANDING THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES, PITCHED NOSE DOWN, AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,110 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 650 as pilot in command; 590 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,301 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 16, 1995; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Phoenix East Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MCN Macon GA
- Destination: ALM Alma GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.