Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 150F near Henderson, NV — 2013-12-14

Final reportWPR14CA069
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Date
2013-12-14
Location
Henderson, NV, USA
Airport
KVGT
Aircraft
CESSNA 150F
Registration
N7015F
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The flight crew's improper in-flight fuel planning lead to fuel exhaustion, which resulted in a complete loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot, who was acting as the pilot-in-command, stated that shortly after he descended the airplane and leveled off at 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl) the engine sputtered and lost power. Attempts to restart the engine was unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing into a cement mixing yard, shearing off the landing gear in the process and substantially damaging the fuselage and wings. The certified flight instructor (CFI), who was acting as copilot, stated that sunset occurred about 1 hour into the flight. The local sunset time was approximately 1627. The accident occurred at 2038, which established the total time airborne about 5 hours. Both pilots stated that the airplane was fully fueled before departing, and airport fueling records show that 19.6 gallons of fuel was purchased by the CFI. The Cessna 150 Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) states that an airplane equipped with standard fuel tanks has 22.5 gallons of usable fuel, and has about 5 hours of endurance at cruise power. First responders reported that there was no fuel observed in the airplane's fuel tanks and no odor of fuel was observed at the accident site. A postaccident examination of the airplane concluded that no engine mechanical malfunction or failure was identified that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to ensure adequate fuel for flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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