ATL97LA044

The student pilot had flown a cross-country flight, landed, and refueled. He continued the cross-country flight with an en route landing, taxi back, and takeoff at another field. Following that landing and takeoff, he continued to an intermediate destination, where the engine was shut down for about 40 minutes. Afterwards, he continued to his home airport. About five miles from the home airport, the engine quit operating. The student landed in a rough field, and the airplane nosed over during the forced landing roll. Postaccident calculations indicated there should have been sufficient fuel to complete the flight. The owner reported that when the airplane was retrieved, a large blue fuel stain was present on the top of the left wing, and about one gallon of fuel was drained from the airplane.

On February 23, 1997, about 1545 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150, N714JY, nosed over during a forced landing near Raleigh, North Carolina. The airplane was operated by C AND C Aircraft Services, Inc., under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan was not filed for the solo cross-country flight. The student pilot was not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Origination of the flight was the Triple W Airport, near Raleigh, with intermediate stops at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Richmond-Ashland Airport near Richmond, Virginia, and Kinston, North Carolina. The flight was returning to Raleigh at the time of the accident.

The pilot reported that he flew 2.5 hours elapsed time to Richmond. He added about 15.8 gallons of 100LL fuel. The return flight was 2.6 hours elapsed time and included a landing with taxi back to the runway for takeoff at Richmond International Airport, and a full stop landing and shut down at Kinston, North Carolina. During cruise flight, the mixture was leaned. The airplane was at 3,000 feet when the engine "blinked" off then back on. After a second similar occurrence, the pilot increased the mixture to rich, applied carburetor heat, checked magnetos on, and verified that the fuel selector was properly positioned.

According to the inspector who reported the accident, the engine quit when the airplane was about five miles east of the airport. A forced landing was made to a soft field. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over. The inspector stated that the airplane had been refueled in Richmond.

Initial examination of the wreckage was performed while the airplane was inverted. The underside of the right wing, near the strut, was rippled about 1 inch from the rib. The upper portion of the rudder, about 12 inches below the rotating beacon, was bent. The engine mount was bent toward the firewall. Both horizontal stabilizer spars were bent. The mid section of the left side of the fuselage was also bent. The mixture was in the lean position, the throttle was 1/2 inch in, and the carburetor heat was off. The owner reported that after the airplane was turned over, a large blue fuel stain was found, over the left wing. Fuel stains were also observed around the fuel vent. One half gallon of fuel was drained from the airplane.

The FAA reviewed the maintenance records for N714JY, and found that all appropriate inspections were complete. Review of the student pilot's records showed the appropriate logbook and certificate endorsements. An out of date Charlotte sectional was found in the airplane.

The fuel required to complete the flight was calculated using a similar make and model operating handbook. Based on those calculations, the airplane should have had about eight gallons of usable fuel, at the time the engine quit.