- Date
- July 15, 1990, 19:50 local (Jul 16, 1990, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Moorhead, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9873JCessna 150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900715025949A
- Case key
- 14717
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 pilot's poor in-flight planning and fuel system monitoring, and his failure to maintain directional control during the subsequent forced landing.
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 pilot stated that after about 3 hours of cruise flight, as he was descending for his destination airport, the aircraft engine failed completely. Two attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the pilot performed a forced landing on a gravel road approximately 10 miles south-east of the destination airport. During the landing roll, the aircraft skidded off the left side of the road into a ditch. The pilot claimed that there was no mechanical malfunction, and investigators found only unuseable fuel in the fual tanks. The pilot reported 95 hours of total flight experience.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9873J
- Reported as
- Cessna 150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A1500682
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Schonert, Keith W.
- Registered owner
- Schonert, Keith W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Departed
- DLH · Duluth, MN
- Destination
- D54 · West Fargo, ND
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 95 total · 87 in this make and model · 38 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAR, 9 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 N9873J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.