Cessna 152 accident near Ellington, Connecticut, September 17, 1998
On September 17, 1998, a Cessna 152, registered N307DW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ellington, Connecticut (Ellington Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Was the flight instructors lack of supervision over the student pilot's preflight inspection of the airplane, and which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors were the night conditions and the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1998
- Place
- Ellington, Connecticut · Ellington Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N307DW · no longer on the register · serial 15285265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot and instructor planned on a night cross-country flight of 1 hour duration. The student pilot reported there was 2 hours of fuel onboard and the flight instructor accepted his word. The engine lost power as they neared their destination. The pilot picked an airport with non-standard, low intensity runway lights, and no rotating beacon for an emergency landing. When they finally acquired the field visually, there was insufficient altitude to reach it. The airplane landed in an open field with soft terrain and flipped over. Post accident interviews disclosed the student pilot had performed the pre-flight inspection. In addition, he was not familiar with the use of a device to measure the quantity of fuel in the tanks.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,113 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,545 as pilot in command; 214 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,866 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 20, 1998; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASH Nashua NH at 11:50 pm
- Destination: BDL Windsor Locks NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 1,800 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.