ATL99LA061

While on a cross country flight 12 miles north west of his destination, the pilot reported that the engine lost power. He made a forced landing in a swamp. The airplane subsequently nosed over during the forced landing. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot. The pilot did not depart with full fuel nor did he plan an enroute refueling stop.

On March 29, 1999, at 1430 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150J, N60476, collided with terrain during an emergency landing near Pembroke Pines, Florida. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the private pilot, a native of Iceland, was not injured. The flight initially departed Titusville, South Carolina, at 1230, and was enroute to Pembroke Pines, Florida.

The pilot stated that the fuel log had shown that the airplane had been flown for forty minutes prior to departure and there were 19 gallons of usable fuel on board at departure. According to the pilot, he had been in flight for two hours when the engine started running roughly and quit. The pilot reported that the engine lost power about 12 miles north west of his destination at 1000 feet of altitude. Since the pilot was unable to maintain flight, he made an emergency landing in swampy area. During he the emergency landing the airplane nosed over after touch down. The pilot reported that after engine stoppage he looked at the fuel gauges and both gauges showed a quantity slightly below 1/2 tank. The pilot stated that his estimated 1.5 hours of fuel on board the airplane when the engine lost power.

The post-accident examination of the airplane disclosed that there was no evidence of fuel in the airplane or on the ground at the scene of the accident. It was also reported that the pilot did not top off the fuel tanks prior to his departure for the 160 nautical mile cross-country flight, nor did the pilot plan an enroute refueling stop. The estimated enroute flight duration to the destination airport, based upon winds aloft for the time of the flight, was approximately 2.4 hours. No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot.