What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Student pilot: February 18th was practicing VOR holds south of the Greenville airport. Aircraft engine
Began to stutter; student pilot pulled carb heat on (shortly) aircraft engine completely dies. Instructor takes control of aircraft and tries for restart was
Unsuccessful. CFI declared emergency into Greenville tower.
CFI statement: aircraft was flying around at 2000 feet missed an approach point off the ILS 18L into
Greenville. Aircraft was at a high-power setting approxmiate 2300-2400 rmp. Aircraft engine stutters
(CFI) immediately pull carb heat. No indication of carb ice; weather the clouds were high.CFI looks for verfication of fuel in both tanks. CFI stated fuel gage indicated over 1/4. Aircraft continued to run rough and rmp continued to drop with no rise and aircraft lost complete power. CFI attempted to restart and declared an emergency.
CFI is in control of aircraft and is pitching for best glide. CFI sees a new cut though road over a large patch of trees, CFI states "that was the best option". CFI held best glide all the way to the trees. CFI statement if I pulled it up and tried to miss the trees, we would have stalled really high and that would have been a worse outcome."
February 22, 2025. (Aircraft recovery) aircraft was removed from trees and on the ground. Mechanic checked and confirmed flight controls were free and correct. Throttle was out; mixture was in; carb heat was out; master was off and (both) mags were on. Master was on and fuel level showed empty on both tanks, left and right nav lights and strobes were missing but landing light, tail beacon and beacon worked. Mechanic statement: attempted to drain the remaining fuel, mechanic stated "there was only maybe a cup of fuel remaining in the lines".
Damage to the aircraft structure is as follows:
Left wing:
8 Nose ribs, leading edge skin and wing tip
Right wing:
9 Nose ribs leading edge skin, wing skin and tip of spar starting 151” from the center of the wing attachment fitting. Rear spar cap is bent and starting to crack at 14” and again at 14.5” from the center of the wing attachment fitting
Fuselage:
Right side front door post has shift up about an ?” and negligible dents along the tail section along with dents on the left and right side forward fuselage near the strut attachment
Horizontal stabilizer:
Leading edge and spar are damaged on the left side no punctures or tears in the skin
Vertical stabilizer is free of any damage
Rudder has a slight crease it caused by rubbing against the bucket of the mini excavator we used to lower the plane down out of the trees.
Elevators are free of any damage
Flaps are free of any damage
Ailerons are free of any damage
NTSB initial assessment adsb data revels the following: time 3:56: aircraft was flown for a total of 4 hours to be exact. Aircraft Cessna C-150: a O-200-A om states an average of 6.3GPH during cruise. Uitilizing that number, aircraft comes up to about 3.5 hours before fuel exhaustion: fuel reciept dated 03/14/2025 indicates 20.970 of fuel purchaced. The adsb data indicates 4 hours of time in airtime (flight time) and doesn’t include flight start-up, taxi, initial takeoff, landing roll-out, taxi, and shut down. Preliminary data indicates possiable fuel exhaustion
As the FAA filed it
STUDENT PILOT: FEBRUARY 18TH WAS PRACTICING VOR HOLDS SOUTH OF THE GREENVILLE AIRPORT.AIRCRAFT ENGINE
BEGAN TO STUTTER; STUDENT PILOT PULLED CARB HEAT ON (SHORTLY) AIRCRAFT ENGINE COMPLETELY DIES. INSTRUCTOR TAKES CONTROL OF AIRCRAFT AND TRIES FOR RESTART WAS
UNSUCCESSFUL. CFI DECLARED EMERGENCY INTO GREENVILLE TOWER.
CFI STATEMENT: AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING AROUND AT 2000 FEET MISSED AN APPROACH POINT OFF THE ILS 18L INTO
GREENVILLE. AIRCRAFT WAS AT A HIGH-POWER SETTING APPROXMIATE 2300-2400 RMP. AIRCRAFT ENGINE STUTTERS
(CFI) IMMEDIATELY PULL CARB HEAT. NO INDICATION OF CARB ICE; WEATHER THE CLOUDS WERE HIGH.CFI LOOKS FOR VERFICATION OF FUEL IN BOTH TANKS. CFI STATED FUEL GAGE INDICATED OVER 1/4. AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGH AND RMP CONTINUED TO DROP WITH NO RISE AND AIRCRAFT LOST COMPLETE POWER. CFI ATTEMPTED TO RESTART AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.
CFI IS IN CONTROL OF AIRCRAFT AND IS PITCHING FOR BEST GLIDE. CFI SEES A NEW CUT THOUGH ROAD OVER A LARGE PATCH OF TREES, CFI STATES "THAT WAS THE BEST OPTION". CFI HELD BEST GLIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE TREES. CFI STATEMENT IF I PULLED IT UP AND TRIED TO MISS THE TREES, WE WOULD HAVE STALLED REALLY HIGH AND THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WORSE OUTCOME."
FEBRUARY 22, 2025. (AIRCRAFT RECOVERY) AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM TREES AND ON THE GROUND. MECHANIC CHECKED AND CONFIRMED FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE FREE AND CORRECT. THROTTLE WAS OUT; MIXTURE WAS IN; CARB HEAT WAS OUT; MASTER WAS OFF AND (BOTH) MAGS WERE ON. MASTER WAS ON AND FUEL LEVEL SHOWED EMPTY ON BOTH TANKS, LEFT AND RIGHT NAV LIGHTS AND STROBES WERE MISSING BUT LANDING LIGHT, TAIL BEACON AND BEACON WORKED. MECHANIC STATEMENT: ATTEMPTED TO DRAIN THE REMAINING FUEL, MECHANIC STATED "THERE WAS ONLY MAYBE A CUP OF FUEL REMAINING IN THE LINES".
DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE IS AS FOLLOWS:
LEFT WING:
8 NOSE RIBS, LEADING EDGE SKIN AND WING TIP
RIGHT WING:
9 NOSE RIBS LEADING EDGE SKIN, WING SKIN AND TIP OF SPAR STARTING 151” FROM THE CENTER OF THE WING ATTACHMENT FITTING. REAR SPAR CAP IS BENT AND STARTING TO CRACK AT 14” AND AGAIN AT 14.5” FROM THE CENTER OF THE WING ATTACHMENT FITTING
FUSELAGE:
RIGHT SIDE FRONT DOOR POST HAS SHIFT UP ABOUT AN ?” AND NEGLIGIBLE DENTS ALONG THE TAIL SECTION ALONG WITH DENTS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE FORWARD FUSELAGE NEAR THE STRUT ATTACHMENT
HORIZONTAL STABILIZER:
LEADING EDGE AND SPAR ARE DAMAGED ON THE LEFT SIDE NO PUNCTURES OR TEARS IN THE SKIN
VERTICAL STABILIZER IS FREE OF ANY DAMAGE
RUDDER HAS A SLIGHT CREASE IT CAUSED BY RUBBING AGAINST THE BUCKET OF THE MINI EXCAVATOR WE USED TO LOWER THE PLANE DOWN OUT OF THE TREES.
ELEVATORS ARE FREE OF ANY DAMAGE
FLAPS ARE FREE OF ANY DAMAGE
AILERONS ARE FREE OF ANY DAMAGE
NTSB INITIAL ASSESSMENT ADSB DATA REVELS THE FOLLOWING: TIME 3:56: AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN FOR A TOTAL OF 4 HOURS TO BE EXACT. AIRCRAFT CESSNA C-150: A O-200-A OM STATES AN AVERAGE OF 6.3GPH DURING CRUISE. UITILIZING THAT NUMBER, AIRCRAFT COMES UP TO ABOUT 3.5 HOURS BEFORE FUEL EXHAUSTION: FUEL RECIEPT DATED 03/14/2025 INDICATES 20.970 OF FUEL PURCHACED. THE ADSB DATA INDICATES 4 HOURS OF TIME IN AIRTIME (FLIGHT TIME) AND DOESN’T INCLUDE FLIGHT START-UP, TAXI, INITIAL TAKEOFF, LANDING ROLL-OUT, TAXI, AND SHUT DOWN. PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATES POSSIABLE FUEL EXHAUSTION
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.