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CEN16LA018

2015-10-12 · Waskom, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KASL

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's decision to operate the airplane without the owner’s permission and his lack of preflight planning, which resulted a total loss of engine power due fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

October 12, 2015, at 0349 central daylight time, the pilot of a Diamond DA20-C1, made a night forced landing after the engine lost power near Waskom, Texas. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered a private individual and was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Marshall (ASL), Texas, had flown to Shreveport, Louisiana, and was en route back to ASLThe pilot told air traffic controllers that the engine had lost power, and that he did not think he would be able to glide to the airport in Marshall. He also said it was dark and he could not see anything below him. The pilot made a forced landing about 6.9 miles east of ASL. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the airplane and reported finding no fuel in the fuel tanks. The pilot, however, was adamant that he had fuel on board. The airplane reportedly had been taken without the owner's permission. The pilot was placed under arrest. The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in the airplane without the owner's permission. While en route, the pilot reported to air traffic controllers that the engine had lost power and that he did not think he would be able to glide to the destination airport. He also said that it was dark and that he could not see anything below him. The pilot made a forced landing in a field 6.9 miles east of his destination, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. No fuel was found in the fuel tanks. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Miscellaneous-Intentional act-Stolen/unauthorized-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_CEN16LA018.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers