NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC93LA078
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, FAILURE TO OBTAIN INFLIGHT WEATHER INFORMATION, AND PILOT FATIGUE.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT MADE THE INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO HIS DESTINATION, BUT THE HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE RUNWAY AT LANDING MINIMUMS. HE ELECTED TO PROCEED TO HIS ALTERNATE AIRPORT, WHERE HE MADE TWO MORE APPROACHES WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO LAND BECAUSE OF LOW WEATHER CONDITIONS. HE THEN FLEW TO A THIRD AIRPORT, WHERE HE MADE THREE MORE UNSUCCESSFUL INSTRUMENT APPROACHES. ON THE LAST MISSED APPROACH, THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO FUEL IN THE TANKS. THE WEATHER AT THE LAST AIRPORT WAS REPORTED AS CEILING 400 FEET, OBSCURED, VISIBILITY 1/4 OF A MILE WITH LIGHT DRIZZLE AND FOG. THE ILS WAS FLIGHT CHECKED BY THE FAA AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND RATED SATISFACTORY. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT REQUEST CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING THE FLIGHT. THE PILOT HAD FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 10 HOURS DURING THE 14 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1993_NYC93LA078.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion, pilot fatigue). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Pitch Down Impact Onto Soft Soil
During the summer of 2015, NASA Langley Research Center conducted three full-scale crash tests of Cessna 172 (C-172) aircraft at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Simulating the Impact Response of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests of Cessna 172 Aircraft
During the summer of 2015, a series of three full-scale crash tests were performed at the Landing and Impact Research Facility located at NASA Langley Research Center of Cessna 172 aircraft.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2023 · SKYbrary article
Pilot Fatigue — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary pilot fatigue review — circadian biology, biomathematical models (SAFE/FAID), commuting impacts, regulatory frameworks (FAR 117 + EU 83/2014).
- NASA NTRS 2023 · Presentation
Nasa Pilot Fatigue Research: Past, Present & Future
Pilot fatigue research at NASA Ames has a long history, initiated by a Congressional request to investigate the magnitude of fatigue, sleep loss and circadian disruption in flight operations, and how …
- FAA CAMI 2022 · CAMI technical report
Pilot Fatigue and Sleep Patterns in Long-Range and Ultra-Long-Range Operations
Field study of crew sleep and alertness during ultra-long-range commercial operations. Combines actigraphy, sleep diaries, and PVT-B reaction tests.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
San Francisco Bar Pilot Fatigue Study
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of fatigue among San Francisco Bar Pilots (Maritime Pilots) and its potential impact on safety, and to make recommendations concerning how the risk…
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