- Date
- February 5, 1995, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Commerce, OK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8732SCessna 150F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950205001109A
- Case key
- 19348
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 as a result of the pilot failing to perform an adequate preflight inspection of the airplane. The lack of suitable terrain on which to make a forced landing was a factor.
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 was in cruise flight about 600 feet above the ground when the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing on a county road and during the landing roll, the airplane struck two trees. A salvage crew reported finding no fuel in the fuel tanks. The engine was later functionally tested and operated satisfactorily. In a letter to the FAA the pilot indicated that he did not visually inspect the fuel tanks prior to the accident flight.
Factual narrative
On February 5, 1995, approximately 1700 central standard time, N8732S, a Cessna 150F, was substantially damaged when it struck a tree during a forced landing near Commerce, Oklahoma. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight about 600 feet above the ground when the engine lost power. He was able to restart the engine, but shortly thereafter it lost power again. The pilot made a forced landing on a county road. During the landing roll the left wing struck a tree, the airplane spun around, and the right wing hit another tree.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, he was informed by the salvage company that there was no fuel in the airplane when it was recovered. The engine was later functionally tested and operated satisfactorily.
In the pilot/operator report, the pilot said he was new to the Cessna 150, having recently purchased it and had flown it less than 40 hours before the accident. He had kept records of fuel purchases and operating times to determine fuel consumption. In a letter to the FAA, the pilot indicated that he did not visually inspect the fuel tanks prior to the accident flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8732S
- Reported as
- Cessna 150F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15062032
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brewington, Chester L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MIO · Miami, OK
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 293 total · 175 in this make and model · 293 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BVO, 55 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.