Pilot Debrief

Cessna 150 near Omaha, NE — 2019-06-28

Final reportCEN19LA186
Sign in to save
Date
2019-06-28
Location
Omaha, NE, USA
Airport
MLE
Aircraft
Cessna 150
Registration
N5256Q
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was on final approach to land after a 3-hour flight when the airplane's engine would not respond to throttle inputs then lost power. He attempted to restart the engine; however, he could not restore engine power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a road and the airplane's right wing struck a fence, resulting in substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that 2.5 to 3 gallons of fuel remained in the left fuel tank and the right tank was compromised during the accident. No anomalies were found with the airplane, engine, or fuel system that would have precluded normal operation. The cruise performance chart for the accident airplane model indicated that for a flight at 2,500 ft mean sea level, at 77% engine power should yield 3.9 hours of endurance. The pilot stated that he had topped off the fuel tanks at his departure airport and had flown about 3 hours at the time of the accident; however the airplane’s power setting and any potential headwinds are unknown. Based on the available information, it is likely that, with the low fuel level, when the pilot lowered the nose of the airplane during the approach, the fuel became unported and the engine lost power due to fuel starvation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before final approach.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

Related mishaps