- Date
- February 18, 2025, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7486SCessna 150J
- Defining event
- Enroute-holding (IFR): Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250218002669A
- Case key
- 199858
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilots’ inadequate fuel planning and failure to monitor the fuel consumption which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing into wooded terrain. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision during the instructional flight.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that while conducting holding pattern training, the engine “stuttered” which was followed by a loss of engine RPM. The pilot receiving instruction pulled on the carburetor heat, and the engine did not regain power. The engine subsequently lost total power. Due to the lack of suitable terrain, the flight instructor then conducted a forced landing to wooded terrain. The airplane impacted trees and terrain resulting in substantial damage to the wings and empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel system was intact and contained no usable fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7486S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15070358
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 4,986
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Garage Doors Of Greenville LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 2024
- Airport
- GLH · Greenville Mid Delta
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 229.2 total · 23.2 in this make and model · 229.2 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KGLH, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGLH 182353Z 03013KT 10SM OVC060 05/01 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP198 T00500011 10072 20050 58009=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.