- Date
- January 19, 1995, 18:30 local (Jan 20, 1995, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Prescott, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N704CHCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 19341
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. Factors were the pilot's disorientation and lack of suitable terrain for a 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
After approximately 2 hours of cross country flight, the private pilot executed a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had difficulty locating his intended destination and was diverting to another airfield when the loss of power occurred. The pilot further reported that he executed a 'smooth landing' in a farmer's field; however, the aircraft struck a barbed wire fence after approximately 435 feet of landing roll. After striking the fence, the aircraft came to rest inverted. During aircraft recovery, no usable fuel was found in the fuel tanks.
Factual narrative
On January 19, 1995, approximately 1830 central standard time, a Cessna 150, N704CH, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in the vicinity of Prescott, Arkansas. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight.
During an interview, the pilot stated that after "topping off the fuel tanks", he departed Terrell, Texas (TRL) on a flight to Hope, Arkansas. He stated that he had difficulty locating the airport at Hope and decided to divert to Kizer Field (4F7), near Prescott, Arkansas. While searching for 4F7, the "airplane ran out of fuel and landed in a pasture." The pilot reported that the landing was "smooth." However, after approximately 435 feet of landing roll, the airplane struck a barbed wire fence and came to rest inverted. During aircraft recovery, no usable fuel was found in the fuel tanks. The pilot reported that he was airborne approximately 2 hours after departing TRL. He further related that he should have had about 1 hour of fuel remaining and "could not account for excessive fuel use."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704CH
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15078615
- Airframe hours
- 4,807
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Youngblood, Marion A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1994 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- T67 · Terrell, TX
- Destination
- M18 · Hope, AR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 441 total · 237 in this make and model · 156 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TXK, 40 nm away