- Date
- August 26, 2018, 19:00 local (Aug 27, 2018, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Eldorado, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1701QCessna 150
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180826024339A
- Case key
- 98170
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 improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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 pilot reported that he departed with 26 gallons of fuel. He added that, about 3.5 hours into the flight, he asked flight following where the closest airports were because he had become concerned that he was "near the fuel limit." During their exchange, the engine lost power. He declared an emergency, rocked the wings, applied full-rich mixture, and restarted the engine, "which worked [for] 15 seconds or less." He then conducted an emergency landing near the end of a road, and the airplane bounced, veered left, impacted a pipe, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he departed with 26 gallons of fuel. He added that, about 3.5 hours enroute, he asked flight following where the closest airports were because he had become concerned he was "near the fuel limit". During their exchange, the engine lost power. He declared an emergency, rocked the wings, applied full rich mixture, and restarted the engine, "which worked 15 seconds or less". During the emergency approach, he landed on a road. He landed near the end of the road, the airplane bounced, veered to the left, impacted a pipe, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1701Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 150 (L)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073001
- Built
- 1971
- Engine
- Continental O-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LVJ · Houston, TX
- Destination
- PEQ · Pecos, TX
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 31, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 110 in this make and model · 180 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KOZA, 19 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 27, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.
Other investigations on N1701Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.