# NTSB CEN15LA433: Cessna 150F, N6922F, Fort Wayne, IN, September 26, 2015 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 26, 2015, 03:45 local (07:45 UTC) - Place: Fort Wayne, IN - Coordinates: 40.999652, -85.209388 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9997&lon=-85.2094&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-climb to cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report May 1, 2017 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - NTSB case key (mKey): 92085 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN15LA433 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/92085/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92085 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA433 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause) ## Analysis The private pilot stated that he departed on a series of local flights with about 1 hour, 10 minutes of fuel onboard. The pilot stated that he made two 15-minute flights, and, about 1 minute after takeoff on the third flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot performed a forced landing, during which the airplane struck a power line, a house, and terrain. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed no useable fuel; neither tank was breached during the accident. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot miscalculated the total amount of fuel onboard and, thus, the total flight time before fuel exhaustion. ## Factual narrative On September 26, 2015, about 0345 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F, N6922F, impacted terrain and a house following a total loss of engine power during climb after takeoff from Smith Field Airport (SMD), Fort Wayne, Indiana. The airplane received substantial damage. The private pilot's injuries are unknown and a passenger's injuries were minor. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight that was not operating on a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was originating from SMD at the time of the accident. Following the accident, the pilot had left the scene of the accident was not immediately located by law enforcement after a search that was documented in a Fort Wayne Police Department Report. Additionally, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Coordinator for the accident were unable to talk to the pilot after the accident. A statement provided with the pilot's NTSB 6120.1 accident report form, in part, stated: "Preflighted the aircraft, checked the oil. Dipped the fuel tanks approximately three and a half gallons in each tank, added five more for a total of seven useable, one hour and ten minutes flight time. Sumped both tanks saw a minute amount of water in the right tank. Re-sumped the right and didn't see any more water. Made two flights approximately 15 minutes each. Took off one more time and I was making one last flight a closed pattern, my passenger was around 270-280 in weight so I opted not to take on any more fuel due to the fact I thought there was at least 40 minutes of flight time left and I wanted to stay within weight and C.G limit. Approximately one minute after takeoff the engine sputtered, I leveled off and maintained 70 mph. Proceeded to make a slow bank back towards S.M.D. The engine caught and made power for a few seconds, thought I could make it to the runway so I proceeded towards the airport, the fuel tanks registered just shy of a quarter each. I rocked the wings pumped the throttle and the engine coughed, pumped the primer and engaged the starter, nothing. The plane was starting to stall through the top of the tree when the left main caught an electric line and jerked us left and nose forward into the ground with an airspeed of about 30 miles an hour." The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction/failure with the airplane. The recovery facility drained both fuel tanks and recovered approximately 1/3 gallon from the right fuel tank and approximately 6 ounces from the left fuel tank. Neither fuel tank had been breached. The quality of the fuel looked and smelled like automotive fuel mixed with a trace of 100 low lead. Testing of the fuel revealed that it contained at least 5 percent ethanol and was not MOGAS. A letter dated October 1, 2015, was sent to the pilot from the NTSBInvestigator-In-Charge (IIC) requesting NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report to be completed and returned to the NTSB IIC. An NTSB Form 6120.1 form was received by the FAA Coordinator to the accident via email on October 26, 2015, from the pilot's attorney. Also, requested in the letter were any and all original pilot logbooks, any and all original aircraft maintenance records, any and all original aircraft logbooks, and the original aircraft registration certificate are to be provided for review by 4:00 pm on October 5, 2015, to the FAA Indianapolis Flight Standards District Office. On November 10, 2015, copies and not the original airframe and engine logbooks were received by the FAA Coordinator via mail from the pilot's attorney. According to the FAA Coordinator, N6922F, had been out of annual inspection requirements during from September 28, 2014 to May 29, 2015. The FAA Coordinator received copies and not the original pilot's logbook on November 25, 2015. The logbook copies showed two pages dated 2014, one of these pages had entries beginning with February 28 and ending with September 22, and the other page for 2014 began with May 28 and ended July 15. There was one page that had only one of seven entries entered, which was dated May 29, 2015; there were no additional pilot logbook flight entries on this page and there were no page totals, no amount forward, and no total to date. Another page had six of seven entries entered, beginning with May 30, 2015 and ending September 26, 2015. The entire page totals, amount forward, and total to date entries were not in the copy view. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Preflight or dispatch event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/030) - [Enroute-climb to cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event) - [Enroute-climb to cruise: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - [Emergency descent: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6922F](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6922F-2018-02-16), registration cancelled 2018-02-16, S/N 15063522, built 1966 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 150F - Registry model: [Cessna 150F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150f) (registry code 2071814) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15063522 - Year built: 1966 - Airframe hours: 3443.44 - Engines: Continental O-200A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Pilot - Registered owner: Pilot - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, May 29, 2015, 18 hours before - Departed: SMD, Fort Wayne, IN - Destination: SMD, Fort Wayne, IN - Airport: SMD, Smith Field Airport - Equipment: Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 36; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, unknown; seat: left; flight hours: 223.8 total, 208.8 in this make and model, 7.3 in the last 90 days, 2.9 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 70° at 5 knots - Visibility: 9 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken - Temperature: 59 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.25 inHg - Observed at: FWA, 5 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20150926016199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150926016199A), Sep 26, 2015: Cessna 150F, Fort Wayne, IN, Destroyed. At approximately 3:45 am eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150F aircraft, N6922F, was destroyed following impact with terrain. The flight originated from Smith… ## Other investigations on N6922F (3) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB IAD78FLJ17](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD78FLJ17), Jul 21, 1978: Cessna 150 (N6922F), Washington, NC, substantial damage - [NTSB IAD75DLJ22](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD75DLJ22), Mar 23, 1975: Cessna 150 (N6922F), Washington, NC, substantial damage - [NTSB DIA69D0032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DIA69D0032), Jul 27, 1968: Cessna 150 (N6922F), Advance, NC, substantial damage ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 14, 2017, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=92085. 17.9 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 3.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40449896&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Record of Correspondence - Aircraft Recovery (item 2, .PDF, 29 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40449897&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Correspondence%20-%20Aircraft%20Recovery-Master.PDF - Airplane Owner's Manual - Fuel System Excerpt (item 3, .PDF, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40449898&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Airplane%20Owner%27s%20Manual%20-%20Fuel%20System%20Excerpt-Master.PDF - Copies of Pilot Logbook Received from Pilot's Attorney (item 4, .PDF, 13.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40449899&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Copies%20of%20Pilot%20Logbook%20Received%20from%20Pilot%27s%20Attorney-Master.PDF - Record of Correspondence - FAA (item 5, .PDF, 26 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40449900&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Correspondence%20-%20FAA-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- From OpenAirDocs.org, an independent open copy of NTSB and FAA data. The NTSB's own report is the official record of an investigation.