- Date
- August 1, 1993, 09:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bald Knob, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N66081Cessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930801030879A
- Case key
- 18803
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 pilot's failure to refuel. 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
Approximately 20 minutes from the planned destination, and 2 hours and 5 minutes after departure, a total loss of engine power occurred. During the forced landing to an uneven field, the nose gear collapsed. An on site examination of the fuel system revealed that the left fuel tank did not contain fuel and the right fuel tank contained less than one gallon of fuel.
Factual narrative
On August 1, 1993, at approximately 0915 central daylight time, a Cessna 150M, N66081, sustained substantial damage near Bald Knob, Arkansas, during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight.
During interviews, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, with the pilot the following information was revealed. The pilot departed Lexington, Mississippi, at 0710 after adding ten gallons of fuel for the planned two hour flight to Batesville, Arkansas. Approximately 20 minutes from the destination, the engine lost power. A forced landing was initiated to a field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed when it hit a hole in the uneven terrain.
The Pilot/Operator report submitted to the Safety Board, revealed that fuel on board at departure was 19 gallons.
During an on site examination of the fuel system by a FAA inspector, the fuel tank integrity had not been compromised and no fuel was found in the left fuel tank and less than one gallon was found in the right fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66081
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15075821
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bryant, Steven J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 19M · Lexington, MS
- Destination
- BVX · Batesville, AR
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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 131 total · 34 in this make and model · 87 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JBR, 40 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 N66081 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.