- Date
- September 23, 1989, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6633GCessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890923036049A
- Case key
- 17786
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 failed to refuel the airplane in a timely manner which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
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 reported that he departed amarillo, TX, with what he estimated as 15 gallons of fuel, for a final destination of marfa, TX. He landed, but was unable to refuel, at both morton, TX and lovington, NM. He said 'then I figured the distance to Carlsbad, NM, and decided I could make it....' The pilot said that 7 miles northeast of Carlsbad, the engine lost power and he made a forced landing on a road. During landing roll, the plane struck trees, departed the road, and entered a ditch. A postaccident investigation revealed no fuel in gascolator, fuel pump or carburetor, and only a trace of fuel was found in the wing tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6633G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15072133
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stell, Dennis K.
- Registered owner
- Dennis Stell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- E06 · Lovington, NM
- Destination
- CNM · Carlsbad, NM
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 71 total · 71 in this make and model · 71 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CNM, 7 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.