CEN20LA092

The private pilot was on approach to land the airplane when the engine lost power and the airplane landed short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the engine mount. After the accident, a mechanic drained 2 gallons of fuel from the fuel tanks, which would not have been usable in flight. The pilot estimated there had been 7 gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks before the half-hour flight, and there is no evidence that the airplane had been fueled before the accident flight. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Given the length of flight and the average fuel burn, the pilot didn’t ensure sufficient fuel was onboard before departure.

On February 15, 2020, about 1300 eastern standard time, a Cessna 150M airplane, N714ER, was substantially damaged following a loss of engine power near Wadsworth, Ohio. The pilot was not injured. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot reported that while on approach to land on runway 20 at the Wadsworth Municipal Airport, Wadsworth, Ohio, the airplane's engine lost power. The airplane landed about 300 yards short of the runway. Substantial damage was sustained to an engine mount. The pilot visually checked the fuel tanks and estimated 7 gallons total prior to flight. The airplane flew 2 legs for slightly over an hour of flight time. Following the accident, a local mechanic drained approximately 2 gallons of fuel from the airplane. The airplane type certificate data sheet lists 3.5 gallons of fuel are unusable. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors were unable to find any evidence that the airplane had been fueled prior to the accident flight. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.