# NTSB FTW98LA268: Cessna 150L, N10519, Taft, TX, June 13, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 12, 1998, 20:20 local (Jun 13, 1998, 01:20 UTC) - Place: Taft, TX - Coordinates: 27.980173, -97.389511 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9802&lon=-97.3895&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 15, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 20650 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW98LA268 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/20650/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA268 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to ensure that there was adequate fuel for the planned flight on board the airplane during the preflight inspection which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the pilot's misjudgment of the glide distance during the forced landing which resulted in the airplane impacting objects short of the intended landing site. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - distance/altitude - misjudged, pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with object, emergency landing - object - wire,transmission - object - tree(s) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The airplane impacted a power line and a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The 72-hour private pilot did not verify the amount of fuel on board the airplane during the pre-flight inspection. When the engine lost power, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a road. However, he misjudged the landing, and the airplane contacted a power line and a tree short of the intended landing site. The airplane then impacted the ground, slid approximately 15 feet, and came to rest upright in the driveway of a residence. Approximately 1 quart of fuel was drained from the airplane's fuel system following the accident. ## Factual narrative On June 12, 1998, at 2020 central daylight time, a Cessna 150L airplane, N10519, was substantially damaged when it impacted a power line and a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 local personal flight. The flight originated from the Corpus Christi International Airport, Corpus Christi, Texas, approximately 1900. During a telephone interview conducted by an NTSB investigator and in a written statement, the 72-hour private pilot, who was renting the airplane, reported that he did not verify the amount of fuel on board during the pre-flight inspection. He stated that the airplane was approximately 5 miles north of the Corpus Christi International Airport when the engine lost power. He further stated that the loss of engine power was due to "fuel exhaustion." The pilot initiated a forced landing to a road; however, he "misjudged the landing due to strong wind." The airplane contacted a power line and a tree short of the intended landing site. The airplane then impacted the ground and turned 180 degrees, simultaneously sliding approximately 15 feet, and came to rest upright in the driveway of a residence. The FAA inspector, who examined the airplane at the accident site, reported that the leading edge of the left wing was dented, and the outboard section of the right wing was bent down. The nose landing gear was partially folded forward, and the engine mount was damaged. The inspector visually checked the left and right wing fuel tanks and found they contained only "residual fuel." He drained approximately one quart of fuel from the main sump "before it stopped" draining. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N10519](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N10519-2013-04-15), registration cancelled 2013-04-15, S/N 15074901, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 150L - Registry model: [Cessna 150L](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-150l) (registry code 2071826) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 15074901 - Airframe hours: 4873 - Engines: Continental O-200 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Pranee Whitlock - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: CRP, CORPUS CHRISTI, TX ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 36; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 72 total, 40 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk - Wind: 140° at 18 knots - Lowest ceiling: none - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19980612044909A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980612044909A), Jun 12, 1998: Cessna 150L, Taft, TX, Substantial damage. The airplane impacted a power line and a tree during a forced landing following a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The 72-hour private pilot did… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.