N93873

On February 7, 1997, at 1600 central standard time, a Cessna 152, N93873, collided with a tree during an emergency landing to a highway six miles northwest of Gulfport, Mississippi. The visual personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The local flight departed Gulfport, Mississippi, at 1330, and made a stop at Dauphin Island.

The pilot reported that the airplane had been flown 1.8 hours prior to his departure, and he did not refuel, but estimated that two and one half hours of fuel remained. Approximately two hours into the flight, and while receiving radar vectors back into Gulfport, the engine quit. The pilot selected a road and made an emergency landing. The airplane collided with a tree while the pilot attempted a forced landing on the paved road.

During the aircraft examination, approximately one and one half gallons of aviation fuel were recovered from the fuel system. According to the aircraft operator's manual, approximately one and one half gallon of fuel in the fuel system are unusable. The subsequent engine examination failed to disclose a mechanical problem.