N4713B

On April 7, 2004, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 152, N4713B, was substantially damaged after a forced landing near Hamilton, Ohio. The certificated student pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the flight, intended between Huntingburg Airport (HNB), Huntingburg, Indiana, and Clark County Airport (JVY), Jefferson, Indiana. The solo instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the student pilot, she departed Clark County with full fuel for a solo cross-country flight to Huntingburg. She landed uneventfully at her destination, and departed for the return trip to Clark County about 1640. Thirty minutes into the flight, the student pilot realized that she was off course, but was not sure in which direction. She attempted to contact several airports for assistance and to ascertain her position using various navigational aids, but to no avail. After about 2.5 hours aloft, the engine began to sputter, and the student pilot realized that the airplane was out of fuel. She then made an emergency soft field landing in a field. After touchdown, the airplane rolled about 200 feet before the nose wheel struck a mound of dirt, and the airplane nosed over.

In a telephone interview, the student pilot stated that during the flight to Huntingburg, she had drifted off course to the south, and while at Clark County, she was advised by another pilot to alter her return heading an additional 30 degrees to the north to correct for the winds aloft.

The forced landing site was approximately 155 nautical miles northeast of the intended destination. The distance between the two cross-country airports was 58 nautical miles. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, the accident flight was the student pilot's first solo cross country flight.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, a post-accident inspection of the airplane did not find any evidence of fuel in the tanks or on the ground. He also stated that he did not note any engine damage, and that when the engine was tested, it operated normally.

The weather reported at Butler County Regional Airport (HAO) Hamilton, Ohio, 4 nautical miles to the south, at 1853, included calm winds, 10 statute miles visibility, a few clouds at 8,500 feet, temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure of 29.73 inches of mercury.