- Date
- July 31, 1994, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Silver City, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5580GCessna 150J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940731019709A
- Case key
- 19128
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 failure to refuel and the resultant loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. 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
The airplane departed without refueling when the gauge showed 1/4 full. The pilot reported a departure five minutes prior to the accident; however, local authorities reported the time of the accident as one hour and 20 minutes after departure. The airplane lost engine power in an area of rising terrain and during the landing flare/touchdown, in rough and uneven terrain, the airplane struck a fence. Structural damage occurred to the fuselage, wing, and vertical stabilizer. Local authorities reported there was no physical evidence of fuel at the site. An FAA mechanic found no evidence of fuel in the fuel tanks or gascolator. According to the pilot operator report there was no mechanical malfunction failure.
Factual narrative
On July 31, 1994, approximately 1200 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 150J, N5580G, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Silver City, New Mexico. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight.
At 1040, the airplane departed Grant County Airport, Hurley, New Mexico, on a flight to Whiskey Creek Airport; which is 8 nautical miles north northwest of Grant County Airport. The airplane lost power 6 nautical miles from Grant County Airport in an area of rising terrain. During the landing flare/touchdown in rough and uneven terrain, the airplane struck a barbed wire fence and came to rest inverted. Structural damaged occurred to the fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, and wings.
Local authorities reported the airplane departed with 1/4 tank of fuel and the accident occurred at 1200. According to a witness who was at the accident site during the recovery of the airplane there was no physical evidence of fuel.
A mechanic with FAA inspection authorization (AI), inspected the airplane after it was recovered and found no evidence of fuel in either fuel tank. Fuel did not flow from the gascolator when the strainer drain was placed in the open position.
According to the pilot operator report there was no mechanical malfunction failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5580G
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15071080
- Airframe hours
- 4,800
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robinson, James E.
- Registered owner
- Robinson, J.E. And J.C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 7, 1994 · 20 hours before
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCV
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 N5580G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.