# NTSB CEN20LA133: Cessna 150, N4729U, McKinney, TX, March 25, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 25, 2020, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: McKinney, TX - Coordinates: 33.202499, -96.743614 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2025&lon=-96.7436&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 101122 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN20LA133 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101122/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101122 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA133 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning and inflight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Inspection: preflight inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 551 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Initial climb: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 150E, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2071812), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane and estimated that he had about 14 gallons of fuel on board before departure based on measuring the fuel in the tanks with a dipstick. He then completed a 1-hour, round-trip flight during which he conducted three touch-and-go landings at the first destination, then returned to the departure airport and completed three more touch-and-go landings. During climbout after the third landing, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and made a forced landing to a golf course; the airplane collided with a tee box and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s wings, forward fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. While the airplane was inverted, fuel was leaking from the fuel tank caps, but the fuel caps remained intact and secured. After the airplane was flipped upright, 2 to 3 gallons of fuel were drained from the tanks. The airplane's unusable fuel is 3.5 gallons. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of fuel in the rest of the fuel system and no other pre-accident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on that lack of usable fuel in the fuel system, it is likely that the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inflight fuel management resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Factual narrative On March 25, 2020, about 1830 central daylight time, a Cessna 150E airplane, N4729U, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident after departing Aero Country Airport (T31), McKinney, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he performed a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted and confirmed 14 gallons of fuel onboard by using a dipstick, which would have yielded about 1.5 hours of flight time with a 30-minute reserve. He departed T31 about 1730 and flew 26 miles north to an airport for three touch-and-go landings. The pilot then flew back to T31 and completed three more touch-and-go landings. He reported that before the final landing, the fuel gauges indicated 1/4 tank and 1/8 tank of fuel. On climb out from the final touch-and-go, about 200 ft above ground level, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot advanced the throttle and mixture controls full forward and turned off the carburetor heat, but the engine did not respond. The pilot made a forced landing to a golf course, during which the airplane collided with a tee box and nosed over. Figure 1 shows the accident airplane on the golf course after it had been flipped upright. The wings are slightly damaged but remained attached to the fuselage and the fuel caps are still installed. Figure 1 – The accident airplane upright on the golf course. The pilot reported that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank caps while the airplane was inverted and when the airplane was recovered to a hangar at T31, about 3 gallons of fuel were drained from the fuel tanks. According to the airplane owner's manual, the fuel tanks hold a total of 26 gallons with 3.5 gallons unusable (1.75 gallons per tank). A postaccident examination was completed by a mechanic with oversight provided by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The inspector noted that 2 to 3 gallons of fuel were found in a container, which held the fuel previously drained from the tanks. The fuel strainer and its attached fuel line remained attached to the firewall and were undamaged. The strainer, fuel lines, and carburetor did not contain any fuel and were completely dry and clear of contaminants. The examination did not reveal any other preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4729U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4729U-2022-03-21), registration cancelled 2022-03-21, S/N 15061177, built 1965 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150 (E) - Registry model: [Cessna 150E](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150e) (registry code 2071812) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15061177 - Year built: 1965 - Airframe hours: 3832.7 - Engines: Continental O-200-A 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Other - Last inspection: Annual, August 8, 2019, 12.6 hours before - Departed: T31, McKinney, TX - Destination: T31, McKinney, TX - Airport: T31, Aero Country, runway 17, 4,352 × 60 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 13, 2018; seat: left; flight hours: 1,670 total, 200 in this make and model, 1,520 as pilot in command, 70 in the last 90 days, 20 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 13 knots - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 59 °F - Altimeter: 29.26 inHg - Observed at: KDAL, 22 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 20200325007489A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200325007489A), Mar 25, 2020: Cessna 150E, Mckinney, TX, Substantial damage. On April 25, 2020 at 1830 CDT, a Cessna 150E, N4729U owned by [privacy data omitted], while on a familiarization flight was involved in an accident. The flight… ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101122. 5.8 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 3.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484788&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Pilot's Statement (item 2, .PDF, 131 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484789&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%27s%20Statement-Master.PDF - Maintenance Records (item 3, .PDF, 275 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484790&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maintenance%20Records-Master.PDF - Engine Examination Documentation (item 4, .PDF, 733 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484791&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Engine%20Examination%20Documentation-Master.PDF - Correspondence - FAA Inspector (item 5, .PDF, 55 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484792&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Correspondence%20-%20FAA%20Inspector-Master.PDF - Cessna 150E Fuel System Information (item 6, .PDF, 179 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484793&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Cessna%20150E%20Fuel%20System%20Information-Master.PDF - Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 (item 7, .PDF, 874 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484794&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Release%20of%20Aircraft%20Wreckage,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.15-Master.PDF - Photos (item 8, .PDF, 594 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40484795&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photos-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.