# Accident 19980809020129A: Cessna 150L, Philip, SD, August 9, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 9, 1998, 11:45 local time - Place: Philip, SD - Airport: Philip Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Forced Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 44.0404° N, 101.6604° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.0404&lon=-101.6604&mi=10 - Aircraft: N5413Q, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5413Q-2001-02-06) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 150L (registry code 2071826, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150l) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 150L - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA307](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA307) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980809020129A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD. (.19) ON AUGUST 9, 1998, A CESSNA 150L, N5413Q, OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, LOST ENGINE POWER WHILE ON APPROACH TO PHILIP AIRPORT, NEAR PHILIP, SOUTH DAKOTA. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, REPORTED NO INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 AND A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT PLAN WAS ON FILE. THE SOLO FLIGHT DEPARTED BILLINGS LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BILLINGS, MONTANA, EXACT TIME UNKNOWN, WITH AN INTENDED DESTINATION OF PHILIP AIRPORT. (-23) ON AUGUST 9, 1998, CESSNA 150-L, N5413Q, PILOTED BY MR. EDWARD W. MORRELL, HOLDER OF PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE NUMBER 501988593, DEPARTED BILLINGS, MONTANA, ON A VFR FLIGHT TO PHILIP, SOUTH DAKOTA. BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED BILLINGS, MR. MORRELL STATED THAT HE HAD THE AIRPLANE FUELED AND VISUALLY CHECKED THE FUEL LEVEL BEFORE DEPARTURE. MR. MORRELL STATED THAT BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE FULL OF FUEL AND INDICATING JUST BELOW THE FUEL LIP. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, MR. MORRELL OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING AND CALCULATED T HE FORECASTED WINDS ALOFT AND PLANNED THE VFR FLIGHT FOR 3 HOURS AND 25 MINUTES. THE FLIGHT PLAN INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT HAD 4 HOURS OF FUEL ON BOARD. WHILE APPROACHING TO LAND AT THE PHILIP AIRPORT, MR. MORRELL STATED THAT THE ENGINE COUGHED AND THEN QUIT RUNNING. MR. MORRELL EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FRESHLY PLOWED DIRT FIELD AND JUST AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER AND CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. MR. MORRELL WAS NOT INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT AND CONTACTED THE LOCAL SHERIFF FOR HELP. TWO FAA INSPECTORS FROM THE RAPID CITY FLIGHT STANDARDS OFFICE, ARRIVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND GATHERED FACTUAL INFORMATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO UPRIGHT POSITION USING A TRACTOR AND HITCH-LINE. THE FUEL TANKS WERE INSPECTED AND FOUND TO BE DRY WITH NO INDICATION OF FUEL LEAKAGE AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS WERE OBTAINED FROM THE PILOT AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MR. MORRELL RECEIVED A FLIGHT PERMIT TO FERRY THE AIRCRAFT ON A VFR FLIGHT FROM BILLINGS, MONTANA, TO INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, USING THE MOST DIRECT FLIGHT PATH. MR. MORRELL, WHO IS THE HOLDER OF A CURRENT AIRFRAME AND POWER-PLANT (A&P) CERTIFICATE, INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE DEPARTIN G BILLINGS, MONTANA. AN ENTRY WAS MADE IN THE AIRCRAFT LOGBOOK CERTIFYING THE AIRCRAFT SAFE FOR FLIGHT. MR. MORRELL STATED THAT THE TACH AND HOBBS TIMES WERE ENTERED IN THE AIRCRAFT LOGBOOK AFTER THE ENGINE RUN-UP. THE HOBBS TIME AT THE ACCIDENT SITE INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS RUNNING 3.9 HOURS AFTER BEING FUELED FOR THE VFR FLIGHT FROM BILLINGS TO PHILIP. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CHI98LA307](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA307), Aug 9, 1998: Cessna 150L (N5413Q), Philip, SD, substantial damage. Probable cause: the fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection. A factor was the soft field. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.