Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 150G near Baytown, TX — 2013-03-17

Final reportCEN13CA197
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Date
2013-03-17
Location
Baytown, TX, USA
Airport
T41
Aircraft
CESSNA 150G
Registration
N6389S
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot’s poor in-flight decision-making and improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the night, cross-country flight, she had briefly considered an en route stop for additional fuel because of the increased headwind but that she decided to continue. During a shallow turn to enter the traffic pattern about 6 miles from the destination airport, the airplane experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot made an emergency off-airport landing. The airplane impacted trees and bushes in a thickly wooded area, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and ailerons and the engine mount, fuselage, and empennage. The airplane had a total fuel capacity of 26.0 gallons with 22.5 gallons of usable fuel. Postaccident examination found that only a trace amount of fuel remained in the right tank and that the left tank was empty. The pilot estimated that the fuel consumption rate was about 7.3 gallons per hour and that the accident flight was about 3.3 hours long. Therefore, a total of about 24 gallons of fuel would have been needed for the flight, which was more than the usable fuel in the airplane. The pilot attributed her lack of more serious or fatal injuries to her use of a shoulder harness.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have made an enroute stop for fuel due to headwinds.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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