Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the pilot's failure to assure an adequate fuel supply to complete the flight by refueling the airplane en route resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the hedgerow which was contacted during the landing and the dark night conditions.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On May 2, 1998, at 2130 central daylight time, a Cessna 150H, N6977S, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a field in Augusta, Kansas, following a loss of engine power. The private pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight departed from the Executive Airpark Airport, Austin, Texas, at 1545 cdt, with a planned destination of Benton, Kansas.
The pilot reported that he had the airplane refueled prior to departing from Austin. The airplane holds 39 gallons of fuel. The pilot reported that when nearing Augusta, Kansas, the fuel gauges were indicating that the left tank was empty and the right tank was 1/8 full. He stated that he had his destination airport in site and was descended through 5,000 feet when the "...engine stopped running." The pilot stated that he circled a private airstrip which was on his sectional chart, but decided not to land there because of the darkness and nearby houses. He stated that he instead decided to land in an open field near the airstrip. The pilot stated that as he approached touchdown the airplane contacted a hedgerow appeared in the landing lights "...causing the damage in what would have otherwise been an uneventful landing."
Post accident inspection of the airplane revealed the left fuel tank was empty and the right fuel tank contained 7/8 of a gallon of fuel.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI98LA138