- Date
- September 11, 1993, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Crescent, IA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N23205Cessna 150H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930911033809A
- Case key
- 9308
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 in-flight planning/decision by the pilot, after encountering unfavorable winds and a low fuel level, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The unfavorable wind was a related factor.
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
On a cross-country flight from waterloo, Iowa, to omaha, Nebraska, the pilot encountered stronger winds than he had used in his flight planning. When he entered the omaha arsa, he communicated concern about his fuel situation to approach control, but did not declare an emergency. Approach control advised the pilot of a closer field to use as an alternate. The pilot elected to continue flight to his intended destination. Loss of power due to fuel exhaustion occurred five miles from the airport. Subsequently, the airplane was damaged during a forced landing.
Factual narrative
On September 11, 1993, at 1100 central daylight time, a Cessna C-150H, N23205, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power in cruise flight near Crescent, Iowa. The private pilot and the single passenger aboard the airplane were not injured. The personal flight originated at Waterloo, Iowa, at 0800 with an intended destination of Omaha, Nebraska. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot reported he encountered stronger winds than he had used in his flight planning. He stated he communicated to approach control that he was concerned about his fuel situation when he reached the Omaha Airport Radar Service Area (ARSA). He did not declare an emergency. Omaha Approach Control advised the pilot of another airport available, but he elected to continue to his destination. The pilot stated, "five miles out, my airplane started sputtering and I ran out of fuel."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23205
- Reported as
- Cessna 150H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15068790
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Terry J. Maxfield
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 1993 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- ALO · Waterloo, IA
- Destination
- OMA · Omaha, NE
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 132 total · 32 in this make and model · 49 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OMA, 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.