- Date
- January 7, 1990, 13:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Traverse City, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6763GCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900107000169A
- Case key
- 14617
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
Improper planning/decision by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot stated that when he was approximately 5 miles south of his destination airport on a solo cross country flight, the engine sputtered once, then quit completely. When attempts to restart the engine failed, he executed a forced landing in a snow-covered field. During post-accident examination of the aircraft, investigators found no evidence of usable fuel on board. Investigators drained the fuel system, obtaining a total of 1.5 gallons of fuel (one gallon from the left fuel tank, and 1/2 gallon from the right fuel tank). The manufacturer considered the last 1.75 gallons in each fuel tank to be unusable fuel. There was no indication of fuel in the fuel lines or at the carburetor; the fuel tanks/system was not compromised during the ground impact sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6763G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072263
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Romeo Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Romeo Aviation, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 2, 1989 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- D98 · Romeo, MI
- Destination
- TVC · Traverse City, MI
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 47 total · 47 in this make and model · 13 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 16 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVC, 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.
Other investigations on N6763G · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.