Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
a loss of engine power due to fuel contamination, resulting in a forced landing, and subsequent nose over. A factor in this accident was an inadequate aircraft pre-flight
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 16, 1996, about 1910 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N7053F, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91, personal flight, crashed in the vicinity of Plant City, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private pilot was not injured.
The flight had taken off from runway 9, and had climbed to an altitude of about 150 feet mean sea level, when the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot elected to make an off airport landing, turned the airplane to the left to clear trees, touched down in a field, and nosed over.
Examination of the wreckage by the FAA revealed that 2 ounces of fuel was drained from the gascolator, and about 3/4 of an ounce of the fuel was water. In addition, 1 ounce of water was drained from the carburetor bowl. The engine rotated freely and no discrepancies were found.
According to the FAA inspector's statement, "...[this] aircraft [had] flown only 5 hours in over 12 months, [and was] not fueled since sometime in February 1996, possible engine failure due to fuel contamination."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA96LA214