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20250927014389A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Cessna 150F · Lake Havasu Cit, AZ · September 27, 2025

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Date
September 27, 2025 · 09:10 local
Place
Lake Havasu Cit, AZ
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8171S
Reported as
Cessna 150F
Reported engine
Continental 0-200 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
362 total10 in this make and model26 in the last 90 days
N8171SRegistered now · Cessna 150FS/N 15061771Airframe modelCessna 150FEngine modelContinental 0-200 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The flight was a reposition operation to deliver the aircraft to it's new home airport. The aircraft involved was a Cessna 150 c model. When the aircraft was purchased, in fredericksburg, Texas, the pilot was told the fuel gauges were unreliable, because of this, the pilot's plan was to make sure to top off the fuel at fuel stops and stick the tanks. He knew the fuel burn rate. The aircraft made it to marana regional airport (avq) in Arizona. Flightplan for the next day was to fly to lake Havasu city airport (hii) in Arizona for fuel and then on to boulder city airport (bvu), in Nevada. Pilot fueled in avq the night before the accident and topped off the tanks. Pilot stated the fuel gauges were operative but not accurate and did not stick the tanks because they were topped off. The pilot checked the weather and knew from the forecast that the weather would start to deteriorate. Pilot said that he did not monitor fuel gauges during flight because he believed them to be inaccurate. Pilot stated that, with the fuel tanks topped off, and approximately 5 gallons of fuel burn per hour, he had approximately 4 hours of endurance. The flight from avq to hii was planned to take two and a half hours. The pilot stated he wanted to get to hii before noon and that the weather was forecasted to deteriorate after noon. While approaching hii, pilot stated he lost 1000 RPM for a minute, then the engine failed. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, but was unsuccessful. Pilot stated there was no roughness or shaking during power loss. Pilot stated initial plan was to land on the interstate but determined there were too many cars. The pilot chose to land in the desert and struck a berm after touchdown. The aircraft flipped forward onto its roof, and the tail separated. The pilot stated he did not see the berm. The aircraft recovery personnel found no significant amount of fuel in the fuel tanks and no evidence of leakage at the scene.

As the FAA filed it

THE FLIGHT WAS A REPOSITION OPERATION TO DELIVER THE AIRCRAFT TO IT'S NEW HOME AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT INVOLVED WAS A CESSNA 150 C MODEL. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS PURCHASED, IN FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS, THE PILOT WAS TOLD THE FUEL GAUGES WERE UNRELIABLE, BECAUSE OF THIS, THE PILOT'S PLAN WAS TO MAKE SURE TO TOP OFF THE FUEL AT FUEL STOPS AND STICK THE TANKS. HE KNEW THE FUEL BURN RATE. THE AIRCRAFT MADE IT TO MARANA REGIONAL AIRPORT (AVQ) IN ARIZONA. FLIGHTPLAN FOR THE NEXT DAY WAS TO FLY TO LAKE HAVASU CITY AIRPORT (HII) IN ARIZONA FOR FUEL AND THEN ON TO BOULDER CITY AIRPORT (BVU), IN NEVADA. PILOT FUELED IN AVQ THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AND TOPPED OFF THE TANKS. PILOT STATED THE FUEL GAUGES WERE OPERATIVE BUT NOT ACCURATE AND DID NOT STICK THE TANKS BECAUSE THEY WERE TOPPED OFF. THE PILOT CHECKED THE WEATHER AND KNEW FROM THE FORECAST THAT THE WEATHER WOULD START TO DETERIORATE. PILOT SAID THAT HE DID NOT MONITOR FUEL GAUGES DURING FLIGHT BECAUSE HE BELIEVED THEM TO BE INACCURATE. PILOT STATED THAT, WITH THE FUEL TANKS TOPPED OFF, AND APPROXIMATELY 5 GALLONS OF FUEL BURN PER HOUR, HE HAD APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS OF ENDURANCE. THE FLIGHT FROM AVQ TO HII WAS PLANNED TO TAKE TWO AND A HALF HOURS. THE PILOT STATED HE WANTED TO GET TO HII BEFORE NOON AND THAT THE WEATHER WAS FORECASTED TO DETERIORATE AFTER NOON. WHILE APPROACHING HII, PILOT STATED HE LOST 1000 RPM FOR A MINUTE, THEN THE ENGINE FAILED. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. PILOT STATED THERE WAS NO ROUGHNESS OR SHAKING DURING POWER LOSS. PILOT STATED INITIAL PLAN WAS TO LAND ON THE INTERSTATE BUT DETERMINED THERE WERE TOO MANY CARS. THE PILOT CHOSE TO LAND IN THE DESERT AND STRUCK A BERM AFTER TOUCHDOWN. THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED FORWARD ONTO ITS ROOF, AND THE TAIL SEPARATED. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT SEE THE BERM. THE AIRCRAFT RECOVERY PERSONNEL FOUND NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUEL IN THE FUEL TANKS AND NO EVIDENCE OF LEAKAGE AT THE SCENE.