Pilot Debrief

Cessna 150 near McKinney, TX — 2020-03-25

Final reportCEN20LA133
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Date
2020-03-25
Location
McKinney, TX, USA
Airport
T31
Aircraft
Cessna 150
Registration
N4729U
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning and inflight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The pilot conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane and estimated that he had about 14 gallons of fuel on board before departure based on measuring the fuel in the tanks with a dipstick. He then completed a 1-hour, round-trip flight during which he conducted three touch-and-go landings at the first destination, then returned to the departure airport and completed three more touch-and-go landings. During climbout after the third landing, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and made a forced landing to a golf course; the airplane collided with a tee box and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s wings, forward fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. While the airplane was inverted, fuel was leaking from the fuel tank caps, but the fuel caps remained intact and secured. After the airplane was flipped upright, 2 to 3 gallons of fuel were drained from the tanks. The airplane's unusable fuel is 3.5 gallons. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of fuel in the rest of the fuel system and no other pre-accident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on that lack of usable fuel in the fuel system, it is likely that the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inflight fuel management resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have refueled before final landing to ensure adequate fuel.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

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