- Date
- May 27, 2016, 14:09 local (20:09 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N60252Cessna 150
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160527009779A
- Case key
- 93280
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 student pilot's inadequate preflight inspection/planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, and impact with terrain.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The solo student pilot reported that while on a cross country flight the airplane's engine started to "sputter" and then stopped. During the off airport forced landing the airplane impacted a ravine. According to the student pilot, prior to the loss of engine power, there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The airplane recovery specialist reported that he drained about two gallons of fuel from the airplane's fuel tanks prior to the airplane being moved. According to the manufacturer the airplane has 3 gallons of unusable fuel. As a safety recommendation the student pilot reported that he should have visually inspected the fuel with a fuel hawk dipstick.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that while on a cross country flight the airplane's engine started to "sputter" and then stopped. During the off airport forced landing the airplane impacted a ravine. According to the student pilot, prior to the loss of engine power, there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The airplane recovery specialist reported that he drained about two gallons of fuel from the airplane's fuel tanks prior to the airplane being moved. According to the manufacturer the airplane has 3 gallons of unusable fuel. As a safety recommendation the student pilot reported that he should have visually inspected the fuel with a fuel hawk dipstick.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N60252
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (J)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15070173
- Built
- 1969
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ONM · Socorro, NM
- Destination
- AEG · Albuquerque, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- ABQ · Albuquerque Intl Sunport, runway 30, 6,000 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- None
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 40 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- KABQ, 2 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.