- Date
- October 5, 1998
- Place
- Muskegon, MI
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N8655SCessna 150F
- Weather
- Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981005038899A
- Case key
- 45131
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
poor in-flight planning by an unqualified person which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the swamp in which the forced landing was made.
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 airplane was stolen from the Michigan City Airport, Michigan City, Indiana, between October 4 and October 6, 1998. It was located on October 24, 1998, in a swamp in Muskegon, Michigan. Inspection of the wreckage revealed fuel exhaustion. According to the hobbs meter the airplane was flown four hours after being stolen. A suspect was arrested on December 14, 1998.
Factual narrative
On October 24, 1998, a Cessna 150F, N8655S, was located in a swamp area 6 miles north-northwest of Muskegon, Michigan. The airplane was reported stolen from the Michigan City Municipal Airport, Michigan City, Indiana.
The airplane owner stated the airplane was locked and tied down at the Michigan City Airport. He stated he saw the airplane on October 4, 1998, at approximately 1600 est. The owner stated that on October 6, 1998, he drove by the airport around 0800 est, at which time he noticed the airplane was gone. A pick-up truck was found parked next to where the airplane was tied down.
N8655S was located in a swamp 1/2 mile south of River Road in the Muskegon State Game area, Muskegon, Michigan. The person flying the airplane was not located in the wreckage.
The airplane owner stated the airplane contained 25 gallons. The hobbs time after he last flew the airplane was 1663.7. The hobbs time at the accident site was 1667.7.
The wreckage was removed from the swamp. On November 11, 1998, N8655S was examined by an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration Grand Rapids, Michigan, Flight Standards District Office. The inspector reported that there was no sign of fuel present in the airplane.
A suspect was arrested on December 14, 1998, and is currently being held in connection with the theft of N8655S.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8655S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15061955
- Airframe hours
- 4,400
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- John Noga
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 12, 1997 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- Michigan City, IN
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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Not reported
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 N8655S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.