- Date
- July 11, 2025, 19:45 UTC
- Place
- St. Augustine, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8503GCessna 150
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250711007849A
- Case key
- 200523
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’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he had just purchased the airplane and was flying it home on a long cross-country flight, with a planned fuel stop. During the flight, he experienced higher than planned headwinds and was rerouted for weather. He added that he did not calculate the additional fuel usage for the flight that was over 3.5 hours. During the approach to the planned fuel-stop airport, on short final for the runway, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing on railroad tracks, resulting in substantial damage to both wings, the nose landing gear, and firewall. Examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed both fuel tanks were empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8503G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15062603
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 4,805
- Engine
- Continenatal O-200-A, 100 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2025
- Departed
- GMU · Greenville, SC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SGJ · Northeast Florida Rgnl, runway 20, 2,609 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 21, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 259 total · 26 in this make and model · 91 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- SGJ
- METAR
- KSGJ 111956Z 12014KT 10SM FEW047 31/25 A3007 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT SW SLP183 T03110250 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 14, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.