Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and failure to verify the fuel supply onboard the airplane.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 1, 2000, at 1253 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150J, N60764, lost engine power and collided with ground obstructions during an off-airport forced landing 3 miles northeast of Morgan Hill, California. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The aircraft, operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, received substantial damage. The flight departed Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California, at an unknown time, and was scheduled to terminate at South County Airport of Santa Clara, San Martin, California. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the instructional flight and no flight plan was filed.
According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) San Jose (California) Flight Standards District Office, the pilot acknowledged in an interview that he ran out of fuel. The accident location was about 3 miles from his intended destination. The pilot said that a fueler was supposed to have filled the aircraft to capacity before his departure but evidently did not. During his preflight inspection of the aircraft the pilot did not remove the fuel caps and visually check that the tanks were full.
The Safety Board mailed an NTSB form 6120.1/2, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report on August 1, 2000, to the pilot's FAA address of record. A follow-up letter and copy of the form were sent August 25, 2000. Neither form was returned.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX00LA284