- Date
- June 14, 1989, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gooding, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N704ASCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890614015629A
- Case key
- 17720
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Improper inflight decision of the pilot to continue the flight without refueling which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Analysis
The pvt plt and passenger, departed salem, OR, on an extended cross country flt with an intended destination of hailey, ID. Several en route stops were made. While on an approach to Gooding, ID, his last intended stop, the eng quit. During the emergency descent, the acft struck a power line and crashed. An FAA inspector at the crash site noted that there was no fuel leaking from the fuel tanks. A post crash exam of the eng revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure prior to the wire strike. The acft had been in the air for over 3 hours without refueling. Fuel consumption was calculated to be 7.2 gph during the previous flight. The fuel in the airplane at the last takeoff after fueling was 22.5 gals.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704AS
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078464
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Daniel W Files
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1989 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- PDT · Pendelton, OR
- Destination
- GNG · Gooding, ID
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 140 total · 65 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.