- Date
- March 11, 2000, 12:58 local (18:58 UTC)
- Place
- Davis, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8435MCessna 150K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 6, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000311009889A
- Case key
- 48772
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the student pilot becoming lost/disoriented. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
During a solo cross-country flight, the student pilot was unable to locate his destination airport and elected to return to the departure airport. The pilot became disoriented, and after about 3.5 hours since takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane touched down in a rocky area. Examination of the fuel tanks by an FAA inspector revealed no usable fuel.
Factual narrative
On March 11, 2000, at 1258 central standard time, a Cessna 150K airplane, N8435M, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Davis, Oklahoma. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Classic Aviation, Inc., of Dallas, Texas. The student pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional solo cross-country flight. The flight originated from the Addison Airport, Dallas, Texas, about 0930, with a planned destination of Sulphur Springs, Texas.
During the flight, the student pilot was unable to locate the Sulphur Springs Municipal Airport and elected to return to the Addison Airport. The pilot became disoriented, and after about 3.5 hours since takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane touched down in a rocky area, about 1/4 mile west of Interstate 35's mile marker 46.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that the nose landing gear was separated from the fuselage, and the left main landing gear was damaged. The firewall had sustained damage, and the tail aft of the cabin was partially separated. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed no usable fuel.
According to the student pilot's flight instructor, on March 8, 2000, he endorsed the student's flight logbook for solo cross-country flight. On the day of the accident, prior to departure, the flight instructor reviewed the student's flight planning for the flight to Sulphur Springs. No problems were noted with the student's flight planning.
The student pilot had logged 44 hours prior to the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8435M
- Reported as
- Cessna 150K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- A15000135
- Airframe hours
- 4,161
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Classic Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Steven T. Manly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 3, 2000 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- ADS · Dallas, TX
- Destination
- SLR · Sulphur Springs, TX
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 44 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ADM, 8 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.
Other investigations on N8435M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.