- Date
- June 8, 1990, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N50788Cessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900608019499A
- Case key
- 17946
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 fuel exhaustion induced power loss. Factors were the failure of the pilot to refuel and the high vegetation in which the forced landing was performed.
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 student pilot took off and flew for 50 minutes on what she estimated was 1/4 tank of fuel. During the return flight to the airport, she reported the engine quit. She performed a forced landing in rough terrain with brush and short mesquite bushes. At touchdown, the plane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The investigation revealed that both wing fuel tanks were empty and only a trace of fuel was found in the engine fuel system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50788
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15069554
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- West Mesa Flying Assoc. Inc.
- Destination
- LRW
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 12 total · 12 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.